FNIA: Soul
by Crash5020
Summary: Mike is a down on his luck adult with no prospect in life. With no family and on the verge of losing his home, Mike takes up a job as a night guard at a local anime convention. But just as Mike may have found a way to get back on his feet, he soon finds himself caught in a tangle of secrets that stretches back to his own foggy past. Will Mike survive or will the past get him?
1. Chapter 1

"Mr. Schmidt, we have yet to receive payment for the last 2 months and as such, we are now disconnecting your internet service for the foreseeable future. Have a nice day."

Mr. Schmidt, or Mike as he prefers to go by, groggily raised his head up from the safety of his soft pillow and shot an annoyed look at the phone that sat atop his dresser.

"I know I'm way behind on my bills and I deserve to have no internet for that, but that 'Have a nice day' part sounds like a genuine kick the dog line," he sighed, lazily turning his entire body around so he could stare at his ceiling. "Good thing I don't usually use the internet… except for games, watching videos, getting updates for those games, not to mention researching background information of my favorite things…"

His thoughts were soon interrupted as the disgruntled Mike heard the familiar sound of a small, thin envelope sliding under his door.

"That's probably the gas bill…"

He heard the familiar sound again. "Water…"

A third time, "Telephone…"

By the sixth bill, Mike already had his head buried under his pillow.

It wouldn't be long before he would be out in the streets with even less chances of getting by. He was never really one to get emotional in any pursuits but he knew that if he had to be determined, it had to be now.

"I **need** to find a job," he flatly declared.

With everything on the line, Mike slowly crawled out of bed, slipped into his best casual clothing and made his way into town.

"Alright, just got find a jobs listing thing somewhere," Mike looked up and down and all around as he searched for something that could point him in the right direction. "Jobs… Jobs… Girl Scout cookies?"

His eyes were immediately drawn to a bright pink table with a variety of cookie boxes spread across the top of it. The table itself was managed by a small girl and her mother, the usual cookie selling team.

Unfortunately for him, Mike found that he stared for too long as the girl's eyes soon locked onto his.

_Uh oh…_ A sharp chill crawled down his spine as the Girl Scout approached him.

"Would you like some cookies, mister?"

"Uhm…" Out of pure instinct, Mike quickly reached for his wallet, but just as quickly stopped himself. He had to remember that he needed to save the little money he had left.

"Each box I sell helps supports my troop's goal of going to Hawaii," she continued.

"Well…"

"Which has always been a dream of mine since I was littler."

Though Mike was sure her cutesy way of pronouncing "littler" was on purpose, the intended effects still got under his skin.

"…I'll take 5," he said, now sporting a defeated a smile.

Moments later, Mike mindlessly carried several boxes of cookies through the city, stuffing cookie after cookie into his mouth until he finally found several newspaper clippings plastered over each other on a nearby telephone pole. It was like a physical representation of the competitive nature in the race to find employees.

As he scoured through the various jobs presented before him, Mike started to have doubts as to wonder whether or not he could actually do what was available.

"Chef… No, I can't even cook for myself that well. Army? Definite no. Night guard for an Anime Convention… Huh?"

Mike's eyes immediately focused on a partially obscured clipping advertising an open position as a night guard.

"'Night Guard position for Freddy Fazbear's Anime Convention now open. See manager for more information.'" he read aloud. "Night guard, huh?"

Mike closed his eyes. As he expected he couldn't even picture himself as any kind of guard. Still… "Well, it's not like night guards have to do much anyway. Plus, it's an Anime Convention, so it's not like there's much worth stealing. I may as well give it a look."

He continued to read the ad until a single sentence His eyes trailed further down the small piece of paper before widening from shock.

"$700 dollars a day?!" Mike exclaimed. "Now, I really have to check this out."

Wasting no time travelling to the address provided, he eventually found himself walking down a colorful hallway filled with posters and streamers. Kids and teenagers were constantly running from room to room, sporting nothing but happy faces.

_This place must be really popular. _Deciding to see what all the excitement was about, Mike let his curiosity guide him through the building. There were so many doors leading to areas unknown to him. With so many options to choose from, Mike, without thinking, chose a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway and curiously approached them. "Here goes."

The moment he stepped through the doors, his eyes were immediately drawn to three female figures performing on stage.

The first of them had brown and tan skin, short anime stylized brown hair, and dark blue eyes. She also possessed large brown bear ears and red blushing cheeks. A small black top hat sat on top of her head, and a matching ribbon circled around her neck; hovering just above two big black buttons on her chest.

The second one possessed sky blue hair, along with blue skin with white templates. Her eyes matched the color of an emerald, her cheeks matched the same red hue of the first animatronic while also sporting a matching ribbon around her neck and she possessed a fluffy white tail, along with big blue rabbit ears.

Last but not least, the third one had short yellow hair and skin, cornflower blue eyes, and pink blushing cheeks. She also had the short tail feathers of a chicken and a bib with the words "Let's Party!" written across it.

The bunny girl strummed away on her guitar as the top hatted bear sung with the bibbed chicken singing backup.

"They seem so… lifelike," awestruck, Mike could not help but say that out loud.

"Don't they?"

Undisturbed by the out-of-nowhere response, Mike glanced to his left where he found a young woman leaning against the wall next to him. Her skin was pale and she possessed smooth medium length brown hair with eyes to match. She wore white t-shirt, blue jeans pants and an olive green long sleeve jacket giving her a pretty casual air.

"Yeah? Um…"

"Charlotte. The name's Charlotte," the woman rolled her eyes, as if disgusted by the what she just said. "But call me Charlie. And you?"

"I'm Mike."

Charlie remained silent as her eyes scanned him from head to toe. "So, what brings you here, Mike?"

"I'm here for the night guard position," he answered.

A bright smile appeared on Charlie's face. "Sweet. You're a real lifesaver."

"Huh?" Mike couldn't help but wonder what she meant.

"Oh right, I work here too," she explained. "I handle a lot of the day stuff, but since we don't have a night guard, I've had to pull double duty handling that too."

"Ah. Sorry, you had to do that," Mike sympathized. He knew he would hate it if he had to deal with two shifts that pretty much took up most of the day.

Charlie's eyes slightly widened. "Thanks for the sympathy. Most people would just laugh or say they're glad it's not them. Anyway, let show you where the manager's office is."

Mike followed Charlie out of the room and down a few hallways.

"So, night guard, huh?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah."

Charlie shrugged her shoulders and stopped in front of one of the many doors in the building. Rested on top was a plaque inscribed with the words, "Manager's Office".

"So, just go in there and the manager will be there to see you soon," Charlie said, opening the door for him. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Mike forced a small smile on his face. He appreciated her help and wishing him luck, but it was still kind of hard to give a friendly smile to someone who had just helped him.

He walked towards the entrance, but a single thought immediately stopped him from going through. Glancing down at his hand, he realized that he still had a single box of cookies in the grip of his right hand. Surely it would be unprofessional to bring one to an interview. He could just throw it away, but he knew that would be a waste.

Mike then shifted his gaze back to Charlie and presented the box of cookies to her. "Would you like to have the rest?"

"Huh?" Charlie stared at him, surprised by the sudden proposal. She then reached and smiled. "Sure. Thanks."

Mike nodded his head and entered the office. He nearly as he heard the door closed behind him. In front of him was a desk with two chairs on each side. As he took a seat, he looked around the surrounding walls and was surprised by all the posters depicting several fictional characters that were on them. Just at a glance, he recognized various video game mascots and beloved cartoon characters. Such things in an office confounded him.

Suddenly, he heard the door that just shut behind him open. It was at the moment he heard that first footstep when realized how unprepared he was. Each footstep filled him with desperation as his mind scrambled to find an opening line that would sound professional.

"I heard you're looking to fill the night guard position."

_Huh? _Any tension Mike felt disappeared the moment he heard the voice speak.

He was shocked to discover the person who just entered the room was the same person who led him there in the first place. "Charlie?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." She casually pulled a pair of glasses out of her left jacket pocket and promptly placed them over her eyes as she sat on the other side of the desk.

"You're the manager?"

"Yes," Charlie answered, adjusting the glasses on her face.

"How come you didn't tell me that before?"

"You never asked."

"Uh…"

"And before you say I implied that I wasn't, all I said was that I handle the day stuff which could mean any number of things."

_Touché. _

"Anyway, let's get down to business." Finally done adjusting her glasses, Charlie picked up a single white sheet of paper off of her desk. "Did you graduate high school?"

"Yes," Mike answered in a prompt manner.

"Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"

"No."

"Can you work by yourself, but also work well with others?"

"I'm fairly certain I can do both."

"Are you devoid of empathy, understanding and the possibility of opening your mind to new possibilities?"

"No?" That last question seemed strange, but maybe it somehow involved children who got lost after hours.

Charlie silently dropped the sheet of paper, allowing it to float back down on her desk. She blankly stared at him a smile suddenly formed on her lips. "Okay, congratulations, you got the job."

"Really?" Mike shot a confused look at the young manager. He was baffled by how easily the job was handed to him.

"Yep. Now let me give you the grand tour."

Charlie whistled a short tune as she strolled past Mike. His mind was still stuck on how he was suddenly handed the job after just a few questions.

"You coming, Mike?"

"Yes…" It was strange. He was practically handed a job with a high day to day salary, but no matter how strange it was, he needed the job.

Mike slowly stood up and followed Charlie out of her office.

"So, you already me Freddy, Bonnie and Chica," she began.

"Hm?"

"The three animatronic girls you saw on stage earlier. "Freddy Fazbear is, naturally, the bear, Bonnie's the bunny and Chica's the chicken."

"I see…"

Charlie then stopped in front of another set of double doors. "Now behind these doors is Pirate's Cove, home of our very own: Foxy the Pirate! Proceed with caution."

Charlie slowly opened one of the doors and just as slowly, the two stuck their heads inside of the room.

As if to justify her warning, a water balloon violently exploded against the wall next to them.

_Whoa._ Mike glanced around the room. Like the last room, there were tables, a stage and kids enjoying themselves. On top of the stage was another animatronic. She possessed reddish-brown and tan colored skin, short red hair, yellow eyes and a metal hook over her right hand. Also, like the species she's named after, the animatronic had red fox ears and a big, red, fluffy fox tail.

An excited smirk crossed her face as she shifted her cannon across the stage.

"Here, she's tells Pirate tails and sometimes gets the kids to join her on a treasure hunt," Charlie explained. "And sometimes she fires a cannon that fires water balloons."

"Sounds fun," Mike admitted. "… Did you say tail as in a furry tail?"

"Yep. That's why she's one of the most popular draws and yes, yes I did."

Motioning Mike back, Charlie closed the door just as a water balloon exploded against it. "Parents don't always hang out in there."

_I can see why._ Even if he would be working after the establishment has closed for the night, Mike still planned to keep some distance Pirate's Cove.

"You can't keep your distance from the cove forever," Charlie nonchalantly advised as she walked down the hallway.

…_So she's that kind of boss_. Mike followed her until she stopped in front of another door.

"Behind this door is Mangle's Cove, but considering she doesn't feel like performing lately, this part of the convention is closed," Charlie explained.

"Huh…" He could imagine an animatronic humanoid animal twitching about as it malfunctioned; a though that sent shivers down his spine.

"Next up…" without looking, Charlie opened a nearby door and pointed at another animatronic. Unlike the others he has seen so far, this one looked indistinguishable from a human. Her skin was a light peach hue and her hair a light brown. She wore a propeller hat, a blue and red-striped bra, and a navy blue skirt. Her baby blue eyes gave off an air of innocence and she her smile extended to her red blushing cheeks as she handed balloons to children.

"That's BB, short for Balloon Babe. Like you could guess from the first part of her name, she's in charge of handing out balloons and extra entertainment in the Games Room," Charlie explained.

"Are you sure she isn't human?" Mike asked.

"She's isn't. But it really is amazing how she can pass for one, right?"

After nodding his head in agreement, Mike followed Charlie to another room and into one she calls the "Prize Corner." The moment they entered, Mike watched with amazement as an animatronic slowly rose out of one of the many prize boxes splintered throughout the room.

She had pale white skin, matching hair tied up in a ponytail, and pink and purple makeup. Her clothing was pitch black clothing with white stripes and also wore black hairclips. Mike watched closely as she reached behind herself and pulled out a small gift box. Like a puppet, her movements were wobbly and jerky, and did not change as she presented the prize to a child.

"That's Marionette, also known as 'The Puppet'. She mans the Prize Corner and makes sure no one steals the prizes," Charlie explained. "Cause of that I also sometimes refer to her as 'Security Puppet'."

"Huh."

"No comment?"

"Not really."

"Okay then."

Charlie led Mike back into the hallway and stopped in front of a door with a large sign plastered on it.

"'Do not enter'?" he read aloud.

"You don't really have to worry about this room right now." Though he found it strange, Mike decided not to question the intense focus in her eyes as she stared at the door. "Anyway, that's 95% of tour."

"Why 95%?"

"I'd figure I'd show you your office later when you actually use it."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"So, I'll see you here again at closing time."

"Alright then."

With a wave goodbye, Charlie disappeared into a crowd of customers. In just a couple of hours, Mike would be returning as a night guard.

Night guard. It was a job he'd never thought he would ever apply for, let alone actually get. But he needed the job. It shouldn't be that difficult, right?

That singular questioned remained in his mind as he left and returned later that night.

"Hey, Mike," Charlie greeted him with wave.

"Evening, Boss."

"You don't have to call me 'Boss'. Charlie's good. That's not going to be awkward for you, is it?"

"No. I can live with calling my boss Charlie."

"Great, let me show you to your office then."

Charlie led Mike to his office. It was…

"Here, you can monitor the entire convention through the security cameras," Charlie motioned Mike to a singular desk that had a laptop on top. On screen were several rooms that he had seen earlier. "All you have to do is watch these for several hours. Think you can handle that?"

"I think I can handle that."

"Okay. Oh, and you can daze off and play some games if you want. After all, who would want to break into an anime convention?"

_Slack off?_ Mike couldn't help but be confused over his boss essentially giving him permission to not do his job.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Good luck," With a smile and a salute, Charlie took her leave, leaving Mike alone to consider the position he was in.

He found a job with an abnormal day by day pay rate, given the job without much of an interview and barely received instruction of his job. He wasn't even given a uniform and name tag. Everything that happened after getting out of bed was strange. But he needed the job.

Reminding himself of that, Mike sat down and got to work watching the establishment.

One hour later, Mike's head jolted up from the desk, horrified at what he had just finished.

_Falling asleep on the first day? I must be trying to ruin my life._ Rubbing his eyes, Mike glanced at the monitor. He had taught himself how to switch between the different rooms and left it on the stage where Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were supposed to be. "No…"

Rubbing his eyes once again, Mike desperately hoped that he was not seeing correctly or was still asleep. But it was not to be. He was fully awake and his sight was fine. It was his first night and he had already failed at his only task. "Where could they have gone?"

"Where could have who gone?"

"Freddy, Bonnie and Chica," Mike answered the out-of- nowhere feminine voice. "Maybe whoever took them is still here."

But even if they were, what could he do? He had no tools or job training. He was just hired off the stre- "Huh?"

A cold shiver crept up his spine as he slowly, cautiously looked up from his monitor and glance to his left. He thought that the intruder decided to make their presence known, but what he say was more horrifying than that.

Standing right next to him, talking to him, was Bonnie.

"Hey, Night Guard," a bright smile stretched across her face as she cheerfully waved at him.

"H-Hey… BoNNIE?!" the sheer shock of the situation somehow caused Mike to fall out of his seat.

"Ah! Are you okay?" Her happy expression was immediately replaced with one of concern, as she reached towards him.

Mike immediately jumped back on his feet and slowly backed away from her, "No! Yes! I mean… How?!"

_How is this possible?_ That single question was all he could think about.

"I know this has got to be strange for you… But, just so you know, there's no need to freak out," Her voice was soft and assuring, but that did nothing to assuage her confusion and fear.

She took one step forward, prompting Mike to turn around and run… straight into the office wall.

"NIGHT GUARD!" Those were the lasts words Mike heard before everything went black.

"You can really be clumsy at times, Mike."

_Who?_ Who was talking to him and why did they sound familiar?

The darkness around soon dissipated and was replaced by yellow.

Groggy and confused, he suddenly felt someone's soft, slender fingers course through his hair. "Who?"

His question was soon answered as Chica's face entered his field of vision. A smile crossed her face as she looked down past her breasts. "Are you okay, Night Guard?"

Mike could do nothing but stare at the animatronic girl in front of him, once again stunned by the revelation that they were seemingly alive.

His attention was then drawn away from her worried face the moment he begun to hear a familiar melody. Though his head was throbbing, he forced himself to follow the source of the music and found Bonnie strumming away on her guitar.

"C.A.M.P.F.I.R.E.S.O.N.G. Song," she sung.

"SpongeBob?" he asked.

"Hm?" Bonnie glanced up from her guitar and smile. "Yeah. I'd figure a song from everyone's favorite yellow sponge would help calm you down when you woke up."

"I personally thought the F.U.N. Song would have done it," Chica happily interjected. "What do you think, Night Guard?"

"Uhm… I guess either would have done fine?" Mike answered. He was trying his best not to upset the two animatronics.

"Yeah, that's probably true."

"Uh…" Mike cautiously slid off of Chica's lap and staggered onto his feet. The moment he stood up was also the very moment he was knocked back down on the floor. It was like a car ran straight into him. Looking up, Mike found himself rendered speechless again the second he discovered Foxy sitting on top of him.

"Aye, Charlie found a cute one she did," she approved.

"S-Strong…" he fearfully mumbled under his breath.

"Ah, and he has an accent of an Englishman too." Her body shifted and her face moved closer to his; her sly grin doing nothing but unnerve Mike. "Are you here to be my First Mate too?"

"Oi, Foxy…" Bonnie weakly called.

Foxy promptly sat back up and shot a confused look at Bonnie, "What is it, BonBon?"

"We're still trying to get him used to us and I think you literally diving on top of him isn't helping…?"

"Aw, you're worrying too much Bon-Bon."

"Our track record says otherwise… And we don't want him running off like the others."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Chica interjected.

"Why's that?" Bonnie asked.

Without saying a word, Chica pointed down. Following her direction, Bonnie and Foxy discovered that Mike was no longer on the ground.

"Oh… A sly one," Foxy giggled.

Bonnie looked around the room, but Mike was nowhere to be found. Her bunny ears dropped forward as she sorrowfully wondered. "Did he already leave…?"

"There's only one way to find out!" Foxy announced, springing up on her feet. "It's time to hunt down the new night guard!"

"That's going to freak him out even more," Chica calmly pointed out.

"Onward, mateys!" Foxy enthusiastically declared, charging out of the room.

Bonnie could just imagine what could happen if Foxy found Mike while she's in such an energetic mood. If he hadn't already left, then that could be the final push to convince him too. And if **"she"** was to encounter him…

Now filled with determination, Bonnie's eyes lit up. "We need to find him before its too late!"

"Mm-hmm," Chica nodded her head in agreement.

Not too far away, Mike scoured through the halls of the establishment, desperate to find a quiet place to occupy. As if his mind subconsciously guided him, he soon found himself in front of Mangle's Cove. The closed down attraction Charlie had told him about… With no other choice, Mike quietly entered the room and just as quietly closed the door behind him. He then stumbled across the room to the stage and sat down.

Now granted his respite, Mike could finally try to make sense of how the night turned out. "Okay, Mike, you're in an anime convention where the attractions are alive. They shouldn't be alive, but they are. How…?"

Another spark of fear surged through Mike as he heard very faint footsteps behind him. He immediately turned around to see what it was, but saw nothing but the stage's starry green curtains. He then turned his attention to the exit only to hear the same faint footsteps again.

Mike once again glanced back at the curtains, this time catching them slowly shift back into place. He understood what was happening now. Mike slightly turned his head back to the door only for it to snap back to the curtains, this time catching an animatronic girl peeking from behind them. She quickly dove back behind the curtains, only to peek back out moments later.

She possessed white and pink skin, white hair, red blushing cheeks, yellow eyes and a pink ribbon behind her neck. Large white fox ears protrude from the top of her head and Mike noticed a big, white, fluffy fox tail with a pink tip swinging behind her legs.

Given the he had seen a similar appearance from some of the posters and the location they were in, it was safe to assume that he had encountered Mangle.

Mike could only stare at the animatronic in front of him, bemused by her strange behavior.

"Uhm… Are you okay?" Mike instinctively asked.

"No… I mean, yes, I'm fine," Mangle averted her gaze as she quietly answered him. After a moment of silence, she nervously looked back at Mike before sinking back even further behind her curtains. "I'm just waiting."

"For what?"

"For you to leave."

"You want me to leave?"

"No! I'm not saying I want you to leave… It's just..." Mangle once agains nervously averted her gaze. "Night guards don't usually stay the entire night…"

"Oh… I guess this place has had a lot of night guards?"

"Well, yes… They usually leave before the night's over since we tend to scare them. Sometimes they say really hurtful things before leaving too…" Mangle's nervous expression was soon replaced with one resembling sorrow, something that surprised Mike. "One even called me an 'animatronic abomination.'"

"Ouch. That's a pretty harsh use of alliteration…" Mike sympathized. Sympathized? Not too long ago, he was afraid the animatronic girls and now he was sympathizing with one of them. Living machines was strange and scary and yet… "…That must have really hurt your feelings, huh?"

"Mm-hmm…" Mangle confirmed with a single nod. After another moment of silence, she looked back at Mike. "You're not going to say the same thing, are you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because… Aren't you scared too?"

"Hm… Well… I guess… I guess I am a little scared," Mike admitted. He couldn't lie how freaked out he was over the idea of sentient animatronics, but at the same time, when he thought about the short encounters he's had with a few of them so far with a more clear head none of them explicitly threatened him. In fact, they were nothing but nice to him. "But, even if I am a little scared, I don't think you and the others are 'animatronic abominations' if that's what you're asking. I guess… Finding out that 'something' is actually a 'someone' is a bit to take in… And is a little paranoia inducing."

Suddenly, a loud ringing sound from his pocket interrupted his train of thought. Mike swiftly pulled out his phone and checked the time.

_My shift's over? I must have been out for a long time._ Jumping off the stage, Mike proceeded to the exit and opened the doors. Before leaving, he turned back to Mangle. As he proceeded towards the exit. "I'm… I'm sorry about the other night guards making you feel bad."

"Huh?!" Mangle could nothing but silently watch as Mike left her cove, shocked by what she just heard.

Meanwhile, Charlie whistled a short tune as she walked through the front entrance, surprised to find Bonnie frantically running about while Chica did the same in a more calm and casual manner.

"What're you two looking for?" she asked.

"Eh?!" Bonnie's mind went white as she struggled to come up with an answer to that question. The best she could muster was a nervous chuckle. "Eh… Well…"

"Another night guard, huh?"

"Well, we don't really know that… He could still be around."

"Who could still be around?"

"The new night guar-" Turning around, the sudden appearance of Mike was nearly enough to cause Bonnie fall back in surprise. "NIGHT GUARD?!"

"You actually stayed the entire night?" Charlie marveled.

"Only because I was unconscious for most of it…" Mike scratched the back of his head and glanced at Chica. "I probably shouldn't have said that."

Chica silently giggled to herself as Mike approached Charlie, "By the way… Did you know that the girls were 'alive'?"

"Of course."

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"You never asked."

"Uh…"

"And before you say that I never implied that they weren't alive, I never explained their roles as if they were just machines that needed to be watched."

"I don't think that needs to be implied. It's just a natural assumption that animatronic girls aren't usually alive in real life."

"Touché," Charlie shrugged. It was amazing how she could be so casual on a topic that would typically be considered groundbreaking. "Anyway, now that you know the truth, are you still interested in being the night guard here?"

Mike crossed his arms as he pondered the proposal. _Well, this entire situation is strange and I'm still honestly a little freaked out over the girls having life but so far the one's I've officially met haven't meant me any harm. Plus, I really do need the money. Hmm… I guess it wouldn't hurt to work at least a __**few**__ more nights here."_

"Well?" Charlie queried. She didn't sound like she was impatient. She just sounded curious.

"Right. I'll continue working here if you'll let me."

"Great," she dug into her jacket pocket and presented a check to him. "I didn't think I'd be handing these out again but here's your pay."

Mike accepted the check and solemnly stared at it. If he could make it through the next few nights, he'll be able to start getting his life back together. Or at least, make a life to put back together later.

He then felt someone tugging on his right sleeve. Turning that way, Mike found himself face to face with Bonnie. "You're… You're really coming back here tonight?"

Her eyes were innocent and curious. In response to such a gaze, Mike silently nodded his head, causing a smile to land on the blue bunny's face.

"You should probably go home and get some rest, Mike," Charlie advised.

"And probably get some ice for that bump," Chica added.

"Right," Mike replied, gently rubbing his head. "See you all tonight."

Mike walked out of the convention, taking another glance at his payment for his work. Even if he was unconscious for most of it, he still felt satisfaction for getting through it. _I just need to get through a couple more nights._

Focused on that single thought, Mike started his journey home, unaware that he was being watched.

"How fascinating… That you of all people would be here…"


	2. Chapter 2

Even though he decided to give his new job a chance, Mike still had a slight fear over the girls he was hired to watch. He tried to ignore it but, in the end, it he found out that he should have listened to that fear. Now he was captured, tied up and stuck between a bloodthirsty robotic pirate and a deadly fall.

"So, what be ya fate boy?" Foxy asked, raising her sharp hook to gently caress his face. "Give your heart to me or the depths of the locker?"

"Can't there be a third option?" Mike asked, wincing at the sharp object touching his face.

"A third option? …Would you choose that option?"

"Between the other two, most likely.

"Hmm… Okay then: Forfeit."

"Forfeit?"

"Aye. You forfeit your chance to choose and I get to choose for you."

The captured human cried out in pain as he felt something pierce his flesh and enter his innards. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the ringing in his ears to stop.

"Ringing?" he quickly opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself at the foot of his bed next to his ringing phone. "A dream?"

Mike immediately checked his body for injuries, sighing in relief when he found none other than the bump on his head.

"Not the best dream to have before returning to my job with living animatronics…" he muttered.

Even though Mike was fairly certain that Foxy would not put him in such a situation in the first place, that small fear and doubts that remains in his heart couldn't stop him from wondering. In fact, when he thought about it as he got dressed, while he could understand his lingering doubts, he could not understand why he still possessed any form of fear towards the girls. He now knew he shouldn't fear them at first glance and yet the fear slightly remained. But he had no time to give himself a therapy session for it was time for him to leave for work.

Once he arrived, he found his boss leaning against her office door with her nose in a book.

"Hey, Mike," she greeted, her eyes still glued to her novel.

"Evening, Charlie," the night guard replied. "Hey, um… Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering how come I wasn't given a uniform last night." Mike questioned.

Closing her book, Charlie looked up at Mike and answered, "Actually, we stopped giving prospective night guards uniforms since they tend not to return them after they runaway forever."

"Ah," Mike replied, understanding his boss' position. "So, when can I expect to get a uniform?"

"Do you really want to wear a uniform?" she asked, perplexed.

"Well, I should have something that proves that I work here."

"Okay, I'll think of something," Charlie began to take her leave, before suddenly stopping. "By the way, did you meet all the girls last night?"

"Uhm, no. I only officially met Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Mangle," Mike answered, recounting his experiences from the past night.

"Oh… So, you haven't been in the closet I said you didn't have to worry about?"

"No?"

Mike watched as Charlie bit her lip as if she was trying to contemplate something serious.

"Is something troubling you?" he worriedly asked.

"No, not really," Charlie sighed. "Anyway, good luck with Night 2."

Though confused by her response, Mike could do nothing but theorize Charlie's strange behavior until he heard a familiar voice call out, "Night Guard!"

The new night guard curiously turned around and watched Bonnie and Freddy approach him.

"You really did come back," Bonnie beamed.

"Well… it is my job to come back after all," a slight chuckle escaped through Mike's lips.

"You don't have to downplay it, Night Guard. I think we all appreciate it that you came back," Freddy said. She then placed her left hand on Mike's forehead, causing his cheeks to faintly glow red. "How's your head, by the way?"

"Fine, but… How did you know that I hurt my head?"

"I was there when Bonnie brought you to the show stage after you passed out. I went out to find a bag of ice for you, but everyone disappeared when I got back."

"Well, Foxy kinda got excited and one thing led to another…" Bonnie chuckled awkwardly.

"Speaking of which…" Freddy stared at Mike, her face now sporting a curious look. "Have you met everybody yet?"

"Not everybody," Mike answered. "But before I do that, I better go to my office and take my station."

With a quick salute goodbye, Mike departed for his office.

"Hm… Now that he knows that we're alive, does he really need to stay in his office looking at cameras all night?" Bonnie wondered aloud.

"Well, that is the job he was hired for…" Freddy crossed her arms and pondered Mike's response to her last question. "Bonnie, do you know who he encountered last night?"

"Um… Besides me and Chica, Foxy's the only other one that I know he met. But I really don't know if he met anyone else when he went missing for a little while," Bonnie answered. "Why?"

"…We need to go check the closet," Freddy replied with a grave face.

With Freddy taking the lead, the two animatronics journeyed to the location Charlie directed Mike away from the day he was hired and opened it to find another girl in there.

This animatronic heavily reassembled Freddy but her hair and skin was a golden hue and her eyes were pitch black with white pupils. Also unlike Freddy, this animatronic was missing one of her right ear, allowing her internal wires to jut out from the open space along with a few other rips on her body.

"Uh no…" Freddy mumbled fearfully. "Fredbear, where's Spring-Bonnie?"

The golden animatronic slowly looked up at the two visitors and, in a slow, uninterested tone, answered with, "She said she wanted to check out the new night guard. Said she wanted to see whether they were cute or not."

"Uh oh…" Freddy fretted.

"This isn't good. He definitely is cute," Bonnie worried. "We got to get to his office before she does!"

Meanwhile, Mike sat in front of his monitor observing one of the hallways from the camera stationed there.

"Now that I think about it… Now that I know that the girls are… well, 'alive', if I use the cameras to keep an eye on them, wouldn't that be technically spying on them?" Mike wondered.

Before he could brainstorm the possible answers to that question, his eyes were quickly drawn back to the screen and he curiously watched Freddy and Bonnie frantically past the camera.

"I wonder why Freddy and Bonnie are running around like that," Mike wondered aloud.

Determined to find out what's going on, Mike stood up from his seat only for something soft and golden to be pushed against his face. With his vision now blocked and air supply cut off, Mike could do nothing but try to hold on to what little oxygen he had as he heard someone squee, "You're as cute as I hoped! Yay!"

With his air supply quickly fading, Mike began to wonder the irony of immediately assuming the job would be dangerous after first finding out the animatronics were alive. As he felt the life slipping away from him, oxygen quickly surged back into his body as the source of his trouble was pulled away.

With his vision no longer obstructed, Mike could see Freddy and Bonnie holding an animatronic with gold skin, blonde hair, and purple eyes. She also possessed damaged gold rabbit ears with wires jutting out of them and the many rips in her body and had a big black button settled just above her chest.

"Spring-Bonnie, you can't keep smushing your breasts into the night guards' faces like that. Humans need oxygen," Freddy reminded the golden girl.

"But I can't help myself around cute guys," Spring-Bonnie glanced at Mike as he gasped for air. "And he's really cute."

"Um…" Bonnie's grip on their captive lessened her as she shifted her attention to her partner. "She has a point there, Freddy."

Spring-Bonnie looked up at Freddy with pleading eyes.

"Still… You can't just do that. This is the first night guard in a long time that made it to the second and we wouldn't want him to leave too," Freddy pointed out, releasing her grip.

"Funny enough, I said the same thing to Foxy," Bonnie recalled. "It makes me even more curious about what made him stay after he seemed so scared at first. Hey, Night Guard…"

Bonnie turned her gaze back to Mike, only to find that he was gone. She then turned back to Spring-Bonnie and was shocked to find that she was missing too.

"Not again…" she chuckled awkwardly.

Some distance away, Spring-Bonnie lightly pushed Mike against the wall and gently pressed her chest against his. He found eye contact almost impossible to maintain as she gazed upon him like a predator that has caught their prey.

"Uh…" His ability to speak now failing him, Mike could do nothing but glance down at his captor's hands.

"You know, it's actually been a while since I've met a new night guard," said Spring-Bonnie.

"Really?" Mike glanced back at her, surprised.

"Yeah. The others seem to try their hardest to get them to avoid me on the first night since everyone thinks I scare them away the most."

"Do you scare them away the most?"

"It's not like I try to, it's just that I get really excited at the prospect of spending my few hours outside of the closest with a really cute guy," Spring-Bonnie's face moved closer to Mike's. "Lucky for me, the first one that made it to Night 2 in forever is the cutest one of them all. And he has an accent."

As her face moved even closer to Mike, Spring-Bonnie's advance was immediately interrupted by a hearty, "Yo ho!"

The two turned their attention down the hallway and watched Foxy stroll towards them, casually carrying a treasure chest over her shoulders.

"I see that you're getting well acquainted with the new night guard, Spring Bon-Bon" she said.

"Hey, Foxy. What's in the chest?" Spring-Bonnie asked.

"Treasure of course," she answered with a hearty laugh. "But enough about, I'd keep an eye on the new lad if I were you. He can be really surprising when you get too close."

"What do you mean?" Spring-Bonnie asked.

Using her eyes, the boisterous pirate directed Spring-Bonnie's attention to Mike, only for the robotic bunny to find that he was gone.

"Wha?!" she exclaimed. "How did he-?"

"He's a slippery one, he is," Foxy grinned. "We may have to be the ones to keep an eye on him instead of the other way around."

Foxy let out another hearty laugh as she continued her stroll down the hallway, leaving Spring-Bonnie with a disappointed expression on her face.

Not too far away, Mike closed one of the many hallway doors behind him and let out a sigh of relief.

"I must not be good with girls when they get like that…" he mumbled.

Curious to where he snuck off too, Mike looked around and noticed Mangle sitting on the stage of her cove.

"Mangle?" he called, approaching the animatronic.

The female fox curiously looked up, nearly jumping away from him as she laid eyes on Mike.

"Night Guard?!" Mangle face turned red from embarrassment the moment she realized how loud she was. "I didn't expect you to come here again."

"Well…it is my job to come here every night," Mike said with a slight smile.

Even with his lingering doubts and fears, the young man couldn't help but want to make thing less awkward with Mangle.

"Oh…" the robotic fox replied. "Well, that's good. Everyone deserves the night to themselves… By the way, how come you came into here again?"

"Oh, um…" Mike crossed his arms as he pondered how he could answer that question.

A loud bump in the wall quickly disrupted his train of thought. His eyes, along with Mangle's, were drawn to a nearby vent cover and watched a pair of distinctly human hands move it aside. Soon after, BB slid into the cove and excitedly jumped in front of Mangle.

"Never fear, Mangle! BB's here to save you!" she declared.

"Save me? Save me from what?" Mangle asked.

"From your self-imposed boredom," BB glanced at the vent she came in through. "We'll be using the vents just in case Charlie found a new night guard after the latest one left."

"Um…" Mangle instinctively looked beyond BB, allowing the human-like animatronic to follow her gaze and discover Mike standing behind her.

"Whoa! You're still here?!" BB exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Mike weakly admitted.

"Wow… It's been a while since someone stayed for Night 2."

"I've heard that. But you have admit, this whole thing is hard to take in."

"Ah, still not used to here, huh?" BB silently stared at Mike until an idea came to her. "Wait a minute, what are you in here anyway?"

"Uhm…" Mike's train of thought started up again as he pondered BB's similar question.

"Wait…" BB's eyes furiously scanned the night guard from head to toe. "Still uncomfortable over your job… Hiding out in a supposed out of order area… Face looks flushed from my question… I got it! You're hiding from Spring-Bonnie."

Mike's entire body tensed up. He couldn't believe how easily Balloon Babe guessed his current situation.

"You must not be good around girls like that," BB concluded.

Once again afflicted with surprise, Mike could do nothing but confirm her conclusion with a nod.

"Okay then, let's go," BB said, her face now sporting an excited expression.

"Go? Go where?" the confused night guard asked.

"To my room. I'll make sure that uncomfortable feeling of yours is gone."

"Really?"

"Of course. Livening things up and making people not uncomfortable is literally the reason I was made."

For the third time in their short conversation, Mike was taken aback by BB's response.

"We can even use the vents if you still want to hide from Spring Bon-Bon," she added.

"Are we allowed to do that?" Mike asked.

"Pretty much," BB assured him. "We use it all the time to avoid letting the night guard seeing us."

It was at that point when Mike began to wonder if Bonnie used the vents to sneak into his office or if he simply wasn't paying attention.

"It may have been both," he concluded.

BB then turned her attention to Mangle and tugged her right arm, "Come on Mangle. You've been cooped up in your cove for a while now. Besides, there's nothing to worry about this time."

Mangle worriedly glanced at Mike.

"…Okay," she relented.

"Great! Follow the leader!" BB announced, before sliding back into the vent.

Mike could only gaze upon the vent, bewildered by what just happened.

"Is she always so… energetic?" Mike asked Mangle.

The white fox silently nodded her head.

"Huh… Well, ladies first," Mike stood away from the vent and motioned Mangle to enter first.

Without saying a word, the animatronic fox entered the vent with Mike following close behind by. The two followed BB throughout the vents until they finally reached their location.

"We're here!" she cheerfully announced.

The three crawled out of the vents, surprised by the room they entered.

"BB… This is Marionette's room," Mangle pointed out.

"Huh. I knew I shoulda made dat left toin at Albakoikie," BB replied in a Brooklyn-esque voice. "One day I'll get the Bon-Bons to say that line."

"But they're hardly in a position to say that line," the top flaps of one of the many prize boxes opened up and from the inside rose, Marionette a.k.a. The Puppet. "Especially Spring-Bonnie. She knows the vents like the back of her hand."

"Oi…" Mike sighed. If what Marionette was saying was true, then that meant the vents were no safer than roaming the halls. "Oh well, it's the thought that counts."

Marionette then slowly flipped over the edge of the prize box she currently occupied and landed in front of Mike. The new night guard blankly stared at the surprisingly flexible robot in front of him, wondering what she would do next.

He was cautious as he watched her reach behind herself and brandished a plushie that resembled Mangle.

"What's this for?" Mike asked.

"For staying longer than one night," she answered with a smile. "It is a real accomplishment."

Mike glanced down at the plushie and felt a strange sensation grip at his heart.

"What's wrong?" Marionette asked.

"N-Nothing. Thank you, Marionette," Mike thanked. "It's a really cute plushie."

"Just like who it's based off of," she added.

"Marionette!" Mangle's face turned bright pink as she turned away from the others. "…That's not funny…"

"Well… She's not exactly wrong," Mike said.

Mangle remained silent as her pink face turned even brighter.

"So…" Marionette turned her attention back to Mike. "Why is the new night guard crawling around the vents?"

"He's nervous around Spring Bon-Bon," BB interjected.

"Ah, I see," she sympathized. "But you know, even though she likes flirting with the night guards, Spring-Bonnie isn't a bad person. You should try and get used to her."

"Essentially, you need to learn to deal with forward girls," BB clarified.

"Especially since you can't hide in the vents every night," Marionette added. "They're one of her favorite ways of travel too."

Meanwhile, in the main dining area, Spring-Bonnie sneezed with a large, "ACHOO!"

"Did you just sneeze?" Freddy asked as she swept the room. "How'd you do that?"

"Simple. I just hold my noise and make a weird sound with my lips," Spring-Bonnie answered. "And the only reason I did that was because I got the feeling someone was talking about me."

The gold rabbit sighed and plopped herself down on the show stage.

"I wonder what the new night guard is doing?" she wondered aloud.

"I'm honestly surprised that you're not looking for him right now," Freddy replied.

"Nah. It one thing to encounter him in his office, it's another to actively try and hunt him down. I don't want him to think I'm a psycho stalker."

Freddy shot an amused look at the gold animatronic.

"I'm not!" she insisted. "I'm just really affectionate."

"That's kind of what they all say. Anyway, you may want to tone it down when around him," Freddy suggested. "We want to make it so we don't lose the first night guard who stayed since the last one long ago."

"I guess… But I really can't help myself around cuties like him. And his accent makes it really hard to resist."

Spring-Bonnie then jumped back off the stage and headed for the exit.

"Changed your mind about looking for the Night Guard?" Freddy asked.

"No. I think I'll go see, Mangle," Spring-Bonnie replied. "Someone ought to tell her that she doesn't have to worry about the new night guard."

Spring-Bonnie whistled a short tune as she casually strolled down the hallway and entered Mangle's Cove.

"Mangle, I got some good news!" she shouted only to be met with silence. "Mangle?"

The robotic rabbit looked around the cove and even checked behind the show curtains.

"She's gone?" she gasped, before her eyes were drawn to an open vent. Letting her curiosity guide her, she approached the vent and gazed inside. "Mangle doesn't usually use the vents… Wonder if someone else already got in here before me."

Elsewhere, BB opened another vent cover and announced, "We're here!"

The three crawled through the opening and found themselves in Mike's office.

"This isn't right," BB casually admitted.

"Wait… Anyone can just use the vents to crawl in here?" Mike questioned.

"Yep," BB answered.

Mike, unsure of how to feel about the revelation, allowed gravity to guide him to his seat.

"Maybe we should use the hallways this time?" Mangle suggested.

"Are you saying that I can't navigate the vents?" BB pouted.

"No! I'm not saying that…"

"Just messing with ya, Mangle. Besides, the whole vent thing was for the Night Guard's convenience."

BB looked around the office until another idea popped into her head.

"Wait, I got a better idea!" her face beamed with joy as she rushed out of the office.

"I can see why she's in charge of livening things up," Mike said. "By the way, Mangle, how come you're considered out of order? Nothing seems wrong with you?"

"Oh, well…" the nervous animatronic's body fidgeted as she looked down at the floor. "It's kind of embarrassing to admit."

Before anything more could be said, the two heard a few bumps and knocks in the vents until Spring-Bonnie crawled out towards them.

"There you are, Mangle," she said, as her eyes trailed down to Mike. The moment their eyes met, her face lit up with interest. "With the new night guard. Wait… What are you two doing together?"

"It's a long story…" Mangle replied.

"I see…" Spring-Bonnie wasted no time plopping herself onto Mike. "By the way, Mangle, I don't think you have to worry so much around this guy."

The nervous night guard could do nothing but move as far back in his seat as the affectionate animatronic's face once again moved closer to his.

"So, where were we?" she asked.

"Um… I have an accent?" Mike meekly answered.

"Oh right. Glad you remembered. Now then…"

Suddenly, Spring-Bonnie was pulled from atop of Mike by the other animatronic fox of the facility, Foxy.

"Again…" the golden girl complained.

"Sorry, lass," Foxy chuckled at Spring-Bonnie's annoyed expression, "But we need the night guard's attention for a moment."

"Me?" Mike asked.

"Aye. Turn you fleshy spy glass to the entrance," Foxy instructed.

Mike looked at all the possible entrances into his office and asked, "Which one?"

Foxy strolled to Mike, turned his chair at the right doorway and yelled, "He's ready!"

Soon, Chica wheeled a cake into the office, followed by Freddy, Bonnie and Marionette.

"Surprise!" they sang.

Mike blankly stared at the cake, before looking up at the girls.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We're just showing our appreciation in you staying," Bonnie explained.

"And to do that, I spent my time in the kitchen baking you an appreciation cake so we could have something to surprise you with," Chica added with a bright smile.

"Wait, you mean that everything that happened so far tonight was just a ploy to surprise me?" Mike questioned.

"Not really," Freddy shook her head. "We had no idea where you disappeared to until Marionette told us you were travelling the vents with BB and Mangle."

Once again, Mike silently looked down at the cake, hit with the same sensation he felt earlier.

"Doing such a thing, just because I stayed…" the sensation hit him harder and harder until he finally felt something hot come out of his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Spring-Bonnie worriedly asked.

"Yeah…" he replied, wiping the tears from his eyes."It's just… I can't remember the last time anyone did something this nice for me…"

The second after his confession, BB rushed into the room with a handful of balloons.

"Time to liven things up in here!" she announced, before realizing that the other girls were in the room. "Were you guys having a party without me?"

"When is it a party without you?" Chica giggled.

When the clock hit 6 am yesterday, Mike was plagued with fear and doubt. But when that time came for him to leave today, he felt as if that doubt was almost completely gone from his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, Mike was caught in a situation that he never thought he would ever, **ever** be in: his face pressed tightly against the endowment of a woman, let alone the endowment of a robotic humanoid bunny.

"…or is she a robotic human with bunny attributes," he wondered as he felt his air supply running thin.

"I just can't get over how lucky I am to hang out with such a cute night guard!" Spring-Bonnie gushed as she tightened her grip.

Mike tried his best to escape the grip of his captor, but the abnormal strength that the animatronic possessed made such a feat impossible. All he could do was accept his fate and wait until he finally lost the vital thing Spring-Bonnie affectionate gesture was robbing him of. Everything faded to black was until a bright light arrived to reveal the slightly stained white ceiling of his bed room.

Now firmly back in the land of the living, Mike instantly sat up and took a deep breath, pondering the dream he just had.

"I can't tell if that dream is a sign of attraction or a sign that I'm traumatized over the thought that I could have died that way on my second night on the job," Mike thought aloud. He then crossed his arms and thought of a third option that he found horrifying. "…Or if it's a sign of both…"

Mike shuddered over the possibility of the third option being true. He was already under the belief that he had a lot of issues and did not need a new one. Desperately trying to avoid riding that train of thought any further, the young man reached for his phone and, to his surprise, found that he had received a text message from an unknown number. His surprise would soon be turned into shock after reading the message, realizing that it was sent from Charlie.

"How does Charlie have my number? I never gave it to her…" he pondered aloud. "… Granted, I probably should have by now."

Mike wasted no time in getting dressed and leaving his house earlier than usual. Even thought it was late into the day, his job was still just as festive as it was when he first arrived. Before heading to his boss' office, he decided to make his way to the main dining area. It was a strange feeling watching Freddy, Bonnie and Chica sing to the customers. He has always been kept in the dark when it came to big secrets, so he couldn't help but feel weird over the fact that he was the only one in the room that knew the truth behind the "lifelike" attractions.

As he continued to watch the show, he noticed Bonnie quickly glance in his direction and wink before just as quickly turning her attention to the rest of the crowd.

"You're cheeks are red."

"Huh?" Mike immediately glanced to his right and was shocked to find Charlie standing right beside him. "How…?"

"I figured you would want to come in here after the fact, given the chance," Charlie casually answered. "Anyway, let's continue this in my office."

Mike nodded his head in agreement and followed Charlie to her office.

"So… why did you need me to come in early?" Mike asked. Charlie opened her mouth to answer before immediately getting cut off by another question, "Actually, how do you have my number in the first place? I never gave it to you."

"BB gave it to me," she answered in the most casual, matter-of-fact tone Mike has ever heard.

"How did she get my numb- Wait a minute…"

Mike immediately thought back to the events of the previous night. As he was tearfully eating the cake Chica had made for him, BB had suggested that everyone gather around for a picture. He didn't think much of the idea until he realized that BB planned on using his phone to take the picture.

"BB, when did you get my phone?" he exclaimed.

"I found it on the floor," BB answered.

"Why was it on the fl- Wait a minute…"

Mike immediately thought back to when he first arrived to his office. He remembered having his phone in hand as he was checking the cameras until Spring-Bonnie ambushed and tightly hugged him.

"Did you just flashback to you having a flashback?" Charlie asked, perplexed.

"That's not weird, is it? He questioned.

"Not really. But now I'm a little surprised you didn't go for a longer loop. Anyway, the reason I called you in early is because we need to do the official legal job hiring process that we didn't do on your first day."

"Why didn't we do that on the first day?"

Charlie blankly stared at Mike.

"Oh right… Night guards always leaving on Night 1…" he sheepishly mumbled. "But then why didn't we do this on yesterday?"

"Because you didn't meet everyone and you still seemed unsure about staying here," his boss answered. "For all I knew, Spring-Bonnie could have been the make-it or break-it decision."

"I was very close to a variation of 'break-it', but it wasn't much of a choice."

"Oi… Sorry, I would have warned you about that, but I was told not to give any warnings," Charlie explained before sliding a manila envelope across her desk to Mike. "So to make it up to you, I'm not going to ask you to complete those admittedly boring forms as soon as possible."

"Thanks…" Mike breathed a sigh of relief as he looked up at the clock. There was still a bit of time before he his job officially began. "Um…"

"Hey, since you have the time, why don't you visit Mangle? I'm sure she could use some company right now," Charlie suggested.

"Uh, sure."

The young manager smiled and tossed a set of keys towards his direction.

"What are these for?" he asked.

"The keys to every room in this place. You can use those to enter Mangle's Cove," Charlie answered. "…Unless you want to use the vents."

"No thank you," Mike answered as if by instinct. "I'll use the keys."

The, technically off-duty, night guard made his way to Mangle's Cove and sorted through the keys.

"Mangle's Cove. Mangle's Cove…" he mumbled as he continued his search.

"What are you doing, mister?"

"Huh?" following the voice, the, still technically off-duty, night guard looked and found himself in the presence of a curious little girl. "Oh, I'm just checking up on Mangle."

"Is she feeling better yet?" the girl asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"She hasn't been seen in awhile. Everyone says she's sick."

"Oh. Well, I can assure you that she isn't sick."

The little girl's curious expression lit up with excitement.

"Does that mean that she'll be coming out today?" she asked.

"I… I can't answer that," Mike answered. "But I'll be sure to let her know you asked about her."

"Okay!" the girl beamed before running down the hall.

"Huh," Mike mumbled as he continued the search for the right key. His eyes were soon drawn to a key with the letters "MC" inscribed on it. "Here we go."

With the right key in hand, Mike unlocked the doors to Mangle's Cove and walked inside. He then locked the doors behind him and approached the stage.

"Mangle," he called.

The eponymous fox timidly peeked from behind the curtain.

"Night Guard? What are you doing here this early?" she asked.

"Charlie asked me to come here to get some documents for the job and asked me to come visit you while I wait for my shift," Mike answered.

"Oh… Well, you don't to wait in here if you don't want to. I'm sure you'll have more fun out there with the others."

"I'm not too sure about that. I've never really been the type of person who enjoys themselves in a crowd."

"Really? Why's that?"

"I don't know. I guess that's just the way I am. Probably the reason why I didn't have any friends as a kid."

"Oh…"

"Actually that's not true. There was this one kid that I was friends with. Think I had a lot of fun with them."

"What was their name?"

"Uhm… I… I can't really recall. It's been a long time after all."

"Oh… Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's no big deal. I already made peace with it. No point in crying over it now."

Silence spliced its way into their conversation until Mike suddenly stepped onto the stage.

"Hey, Mangle, could you come over here for a moment?" he requested.

"Eh? What for?" she asked.

"There's something I want to check," Mike answered.

Mangle silently nodded her head and timidly approached the night guard. She couldn't help but feel a little cautious as Mike glanced down at her chest. That caution quickly turned into fear as he silently raised his hands and watched in horror as they hovered over her breasts. Her face turned bright red and she shut her eyes tight; fearfully waiting for the inevitable result of this transaction.

"There," Mike said.

Mangle opened her eyes and, to her surprise, found Mike tightening her bow.

"Your bow was unfastened," he continued.

"Oh. Thank you, Night Guard," Mangle sighed in relief after expressing her gratitude.

"No problem."

"Mm. Do you… Do you want to sit down?"

"Uh, sure."

The two sat along the edge of the stage, their conversation once again taken over by silence.

"Hey, Mangle…" Mike suddenly said.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Will you be leaving your cove tonight?"

"Huh?" the female fox shot a perplexed look at Mike. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that it seems like you would have stayed here the entire night last night if BB didn't arrive," he explained.

"Well, that was what I was going to do… But I still don't get why you're asking?"

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to stay in here because of me. I know the history of night guards here hasn't been too good."

"Oh, um… I guess it would be strange to stay in here after leaving last night. Besides… It's not like I made that decision because of you specifically. I just didn't think you would return after the first night, is all."

"That makes sense. You weren't there when I told Charlie I would come back. By the way, I ran into a little girl while trying to get in her. She was asking about you."

"Really?"

"Asked if you were feeling well and wanted to know whether or not you would come out tonight."

"Ah…" a small smile appeared on the animatronic's face.

Meanwhile, in the Storage Closet, Spring-Bonnie yawned as she casually flipped through the pages of a magazine.

"Why are you reading that 1997 magazine again?" Fredbear asked. "Also, why did you bother to yawn?"

"Cause it's the latest one that I haven't read in a while, not that a 'while' is that long," the withered bunny answered. "And I yawned to show how bored I am right now."

"You could just sleep until the establishment is empty."

"Ugh… Sleeping all the time is just as boring."

"Boredom isn't a concern if you're not conscious."

"That's okay. I'm just killing time until I can finally spend some time with the new night guard."

"The results of yesterday haven't dashed your hopes?"

"Nope."

"Don't you ever think it's pointless to flirt with the night guards?"

"Why would I think that?"

"There are a couple of obstacles to be faced."

"Like what?"

"For one: he's human and you're a highly advanced robotic being under the guise of a lifelike animatronic. Secondly: you're a highly advanced robotic being with the appearance of an animal and humans interacting with animals in a certain way is quite the sensitive subject."

"Hey, other than my ears and nose, I'm pretty human... esque."

"Highly advanced robotic being."

"I'd doubt he'd care about that."

Fredbear blankly stared at her golden companion until as the sound of ringing bells circulated throughout the facility.

"The Night Guard is already here," she suddenly said.

"Huh?" Spring-Bonnie replied, surprised by Fredbear's sudden words.

"He arrived here earlier, presumably under Charlie's request. He's currently with Mangle in her cove."

"Really? Thanks, Sis!"

The gold rabbit eagerly jumped on her feet and rushed through the closet doors.

Not too far away, Mike led Mangle out of her cove, where Charlie was waiting for them.

"Hey, Mangle, another night out of the cove?" she approved.

"Mm-hmm," the fox animatronic nodded her head.

"Alright then," Charlie glanced at Mike. "Guess, I'll leave everything to yo-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Spring-Bonnie rushed past Charlie and tightly hugged Mike.

"Hey, Night Guard," she said with her usual predatory eyes.

"E-Evening, Spring-Bonnie," Mike awkwardly greeted.

"Seriously, sorry for no beforehand warnings," Charlie apologized. "Anyway, see you guys tomorrow."

Mangle watched Charlie disappear into the distance before turning her gaze back to Mike and Spring-Bonnie.

"You miss me?" Spring-Bonnie asked.

"Well…" Mike thought about his earlier dream and the question he presented towards it. Such thoughts made it more awkward to answer such a question than it should have been. "I don't think I've been gone that long for those kinds of feelings to pop up."

"Oh…" the gold rabbit looked away, her excited disposition replaced with one of disappointment.

"Ah… That said… I was looking forward to coming back and seeing everyone," Mike added.

"I'll take it!" she beamed, squeezing Mike even tighter than she already had.

Several grunts of pain shot through his lips as he felt her metallic grip break through his tolerable limit. Mangle could only watch in horror until she finally forced herself to cry out, "Spring-Bonnie, you're hurting him!"

Finally noticing Mike's pained expression, Spring-Bonnie immediately dropped the night guard and backed away from him.

"Sorry," she sheepishly giggled.

As Mike tried to catch his breath, Mangle raised her hands before quickly returning them to her side.

"Are you okay, Night Guard?" Mangle asked.

"Yeah… No broken bones or anything," Mike answered, sighing in relief. As he tried to get his bearings, he thought, "That said, now I'm certain that dream was a sign of trauma. Even so… At least a death from affection would be better than the last possible death… Wait…"

His thoughts were brought to an abrupt end by the sudden appearance of a bright yellow hand. He looked up and was met with a small smile from Chica. Accepting her hand, Mike was effortlessly pulled up onto his feet.

"Hey, Night Guard," Chica greeted.

"Evening, Chica," Mike replied.

"Do you think I could borrow you for a moment?"

"Hm?"

Chica led the three to the main stage area, where they found Freddy and Bonnie conversing.

"So we can't play Goofy Goober Rock?" Bonnie asked.

"Nope," Freddy shook her head.

"Not even an anime girl cover version of it?"

"That sounds so tempting… But we can't. It's not on the list of songs we can cover. Not to mention, I think that one may be even more difficult sense it's a variation of another song. Don't quote me on that though."

"Aww… A lot of my top favorites are being blacklisted."

"You're not the only one who feels that way," Mike interjected.

Bonnie immediately turned around and excitedly waved at the night guard.

"Hey, Night Guard!" Bonnie smiled. "Did you catch my earlier hello?"

"Y-Yeah," Mike sheepishly replied. "You all gave a very nice performance."

"Thank you," Freddy, Bonnie and Chica beamed.

"So, what's this about top favorites being blacklisted?" he asked.

"Oh. Well, basically the songs we're allowed to sing have to be legally approved," Freddy explained.

"Really? I thought you'd be able to cover whatever you want?" Mike replied, confused. "You do give live performances after all."

"That's true, but… To the world, we're being programmed with songs and the company makes some of their money off of our songs. To make a long story short, it's like ripping off songs and reselling them."

"And music companies would definitely not allow something like that."

"Mm-hmm. So instead, we're only allowed to play songs that we gained the rights to play.

"And the people at Nick are stingy with the SpongeBob songs…" Bonnie lamented. "And I practiced a lot of them too."

"And if you think they have it bad, then you should've seen how me and Fredbear fared," Spring-Bonnie interjected. "We had even less options than them."

"Fredbear?" Mike inquired.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met Fredbear yet," Bonnie realized.

"To answer your curiosity, Fredbear is to Freddy in the same way Spring-Bonnie is to Bonnie," Chica answered.

Mike glanced at the two Bonnies and compared the current state of them.

"Predecessors?" he concluded.

"Yep," Spring-Bonnie stepped towards Bonnie. "It's actually pretty easy to tell that about us if you think about. After all, Bonnie is more of a Bonnie between the two of us."

"I don't think I quite understand," Mike said, perplexed.

"It's simple," Spring-Bonnie turned Bonnie around and did the same herself, exposing their backs. "I never had a tail, while Bonnie has a bright, white fluffy one."

She then turned Bonnie back around and drew attention to the blue bunny's ears.

"Even her bunny ears are more bunny than mine," Spring-Bonnie added. "Sometimes it makes me wonder if the 'Spring' part of the name is just a nice way of saying old. Otherwise, they would have named me Gold-Bonnie."

"You're gold?" Mike questioned, perplexed.

"Huh? Of course, I'm gold. What color did you think I was?"

"I thought you were a shade of green."

"Ah, I get it… That's because I was a dark shade of gold before withering. Even though I look kinda green, I'm still technically a shade of gold."

"Oh… Sorry."

"Heh, No problem. Though if you really want to make it up to me," Spring-Bonnie stretched her arms out.

"Uhm…" Mike nervously looked away.

"Ah… Too soon, huh?"

"So… Are there any noticeable differences between Freddy and Fredbear?"

"Not really. Other than the eyes and the fact that's she's golden, they're pretty much twins," Chica answered. "It actually got to the point where Fredbear was once referred to as 'Golden Freddy.' Funny, huh?"

"Ironic," Mike replied.

"Um…" Bonnie glanced at Freddy and asked, "What about Two Worlds, One Family?"

"Disney," Freddy answered.

"Ugh…" Bonnie moaned. "Copyright rules can be so annoying sometimes."

"Speaking of rules…" Mike aimed his gaze at Freddy. "I've been looking over the rules posted in my office and throughout the building."

"Yeah?" Freddy replied.

"One of them mentions you."

"Yeah…"

"It specifically says not to… Um, well, not to touch your chest…"

"That's right…"

"Why is that?"

"Um… I'm not sure I have it in me to tell you…"

"I can tell you," Spring-Bonnie interjected.

"Spring Bon-Bon?!" Freddy exclaimed.

"Shouldn't the night guard know the meaning behind each of the rules? We wouldn't want a repeat after all," the withered animatronic pointed out.

Freddy nervously diverted her gaze as Spring-Bonnie excitedly turned back to Mike, "Fredbear told me everything. You see what happened was…"

"WAIT!" Out of nowhere, BB's sudden and dramatic appearance was enough of a shock to throw Mike into Spring-Bonnie's arms.

"BB?!" Mike exclaimed.

"Huh," Spring-Bonnie glanced at Mike and giggled. "This is a new one."

"If this story is going to be told, than it should be told right," BB continued with a big, excited grin.

Mike shot the human-like animatronic a confused look until a plush doll of Freddy was dangled in front of his face. Soon a male action figure rose into his cone of vision and approached the Freddy plush as it sung and dance. Once close enough, the male action figure reached up and squeezed the plush doll's breasts. An entire minute of silence passed by until Plush Freddy punched the action figure away.

"And that's why there is now a rule regarding never touching Freddy's chest," Marionette explained.

"Ouch," Mike winced.

"That's not an exaggeration either," Chica added. "Freddy really did sock that guy across the room."

"I thought we would have been scrapped right then and there…" Bonnie shuddered with an awkward chuckle.

"Charlie had to release a public statement that along with being 'life-like', we also had real-life reactions to perversion," Chica giggled. "I really like it when she tells the truth when she doesn't tell the truth."

"She does seem to have a specialty with what to say, what not to say and how to say it…" Mike acknowledged. "By the way, where does Fredbear reside?"

"Oh… She stays in the closet 24/7," Spring-Bonnie answered. "Why?"

Moments later, Mike opened the closet door and found Fredbear sitting inside.

"Fredbear?" he called.

Without even looking up, the gold animatronic replied with a monotone, "Yes."

"Uh…" the new night guard nervously walked into the closet and sat in front of Fredbear. The atmosphere was intimidating to say the least, but even if his instincts told him to leave as soon as he had the chance, he wanted to stay and learn a little about this mysterious animatronic. "I just wanted to know if you were going to come out of the clo- I wanted to know if you intended on having a change of scenery."

"No," Fredbear answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Your reasoning wouldn't happen to be related to me, would it?"

There was nothing but silence in that room for five minutes.

"Okay. I'll just go now," Mike stood up and silently left the room.

The moment he closed the door, he was immediately approached by the other resident of the clost.

"She's not really one for extended conversation," Spring-Bonnie said.

"How come?" Mike asked.

"'How come?' Um…" the gold bunny crossed her arms as she pondered that question. "It'd… probably best if you let Fredbear tell you, if she ever does."

"…Okay."

"Ah… But don't let that get you down. She wouldn't want that so…"

Mike glanced at the closet door.

"You're in there all day, right?" he asked.

"Yep," Spring-Bonnie's expression changed once more into her usual predatory face. "It's part of the reason that gets me so excited to spend my free time with the cute night guard."

She raised her hands towards the nervous Mike before immediately stopping herself.

"Oh right…" she sighed.

Relief was all Mike felt until he caught a glimpse of Spring-Bonnie's disappointed face.

"Ah…" he nervisouly gulped and wrapped his arms around the gold animatronic's body.

"Wha…?" her purple eyes darted across the room and her cheeks grew bright red. "Night Guard?"

"I'm fine. Just promise not to try and break my bones."

"Ah…" a smile stretched across her Spring-Bonnie's face as she hugged Mike back. "Deal."

There was nothing but silence for a full minute until the gold bunny asked, "You want to try and escape, don't you?"

"Kinda," Mike admitted.

"Mmm… Not yet," Spring-Bonnie happily denied, squeezing him a little tighter.

"What have I done…?" Mike silently lamented.


	4. Chapter 4

A large yawn forced itself through Mike's lips as he continued to stare at his monitor. It was his fourth night as the night guard of a convention of animatronics that were secretly sentient and there was only thing that he could think of in his situation.

"I have yet to ask Charlie whether or not using the cameras counts as spying on the girls," Mike sighed.

"Ye look sadder than those that are hung from the Yardarm," the night guard curiously looked up from the desktop of his computer monitor and found find Foxy kneeling in front of his desk. Even though he hasn't interacted with her much, he still was surprised to find such a boisterous girl sporting such an innocent and curious expression. "Such a negative expression does not befit such a cute face."

"Foxy…" the young night guard watched the eponymous animatronic's tail swing back and forth behind her back. "I'm not depressed or anything, I'm just trying to figure out whether or not using the cameras to watch the establishment counts as spying on you girls. I mean, there are probably things you all like to do in private and I'd know I'd hate to grow paranoid at the idea that I'm being watched at anytime."

"Ah… The eternal spy glass question…" Foxy's tail continued to wag from side to side before suddenly stopping as she grinned at Mike. Still, yer thinking too much about work."

"Well, I am supposed to be working right now," Mike replied.

"Aye, but ye forget the age-old phrase: 'All work and zero play makes the Night Guard a dull mate."

"Huh?"

Before he could get a proper response out, Foxy approached Mike and effortlessly lifted both him and his chair off the ground.

"To the pub!" Foxy declared.

"Somehow, I find this more terrifying than 'time to hunt the night guard!'," Mike mumbled.

He then tightly gripped the sides of his chair as he was carried out of his office. One short trip later, Mike was brought to the kitchen. To his surprise, they weren't the only ones in there. A familiar yellow animatronic was busy sifting through the contents of the refrigerator until she finally noticed she was no longer alone.

"Ahoy, you two," she greeted with a casual smile. "What brings you here?"

"All work, no play," Mike replied as Foxy placed his chair on the ground.

"Aye! Please fetch us both frothy mugs of water!" Foxy requested.

"Frothy mugs of water?" Mike inquired.

"Foamy and bubbly soda," Chica explained.

"Ah," Mike nodded.

He watched as the bright yellow animatronic grabbed two medium size mugs, filled them to the top with liquid from a nearby barrel and handed one to both Foxy and himself.

"Bottoms up!" With one swift gulp, Foxy quickly downed her drink then glanced at Mike. To her confusion, he had yet to even lift his drink up to his face. "What's the problem, Night Guard?"

"Nothing serious," Mike assured her. "It's just seeing such of foamy and bubbly drink brings back unpleasant memories."

"What kind of unpleasant memories?" Chica curiously asked.

It was then when Mike began to explain what event he was referring to. Some time back, while he was in one of his many mental ruts, he decided to drop one of his "Extreme Mouthpuckerers" in his drink to see what would happen. The minute the tiny piece of candy made contact with the acidic drink, the entire soda violently shook and bubbled before shooting out of his cup like an erupting geyser. When all was said and done, Mike was left with a ceiling with soda on it. Though he was able to clean it, a stain remained to remind him to find something less risky to do if he was ever in a mental rut ever again.

"Ugh…" Mike groaned as the memory ended.

"Extreme Mouthpuckerers? Weren't those recalled?" Chica questioned. "Was that why?"

"That was only one of the reasons," a sharp chill crawled down the night guard's spine before continuing. "I'm lucky I wasn't one of the people who actually ate them."

Suddenly, without even touching it, his mug rose up and stopped just a few centimeters away from his lips. Following the arms that did the deed, Mike came face to face with Foxy's eager face.

"Okay," Mike said before taking a sip of the drink. After his first sip, Mike glanced up and was shocked to find Charlie hovering over him. "Charlie?! What are you doing back here?"

"It's usually the time I'm supposed to be here," she pointed out with a chuckle.

"Huh?" his entire body shifted, finally allowing himself to realize that his back was no longer against his chair but atop the kitchen floor. Not only that, he also found himself wrapped in a blanket with a soft pillow under his head. "What happened?"

"According to Chica, Foxy accidently got you drinking more sugar then you could handle and you crashed."

"Oh."

"That said… You should've known that you couldn't possibly keep up with her and you conked out on the job. I should probably dock your pay for this."

"Ah…" Mike sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's only fair…"

"Just kidding," Charlie assured him. "I wouldn't do that to someone who got swept up in the moment. Here."

The young manager reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a check intended for Mike his check. As he accepted his payment, his eyes looked over the tiny slip of paper until firmly gluing themselves on his salary.

"Hey, Charlie…" Mike suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah?" Charlie replied.

"How come this job pays so much money?"

"Why?" Charlie's casual expression transformed into a more serious one. "Why do you think it pays so much money?"

The confused night guard stared at his check as pondered her question. "Rich organization desperate for Night Guards?"

"Good answer," Charlie grinned.

"But why do you need Night Guards in the first place? The girls have the abnormal strength expected from robots and anime girls. I'm pretty sure they would be able to serve as efficient night guards."

"Umm…" Charlie crossed her arms, remaining silent for a full minute. "Let's just say it's better to hire a Night Guard."

"Can't tell me, huh?" Mike concluded.

"Not really…" Charlie sheepishly admitted.

"Hmm…" following his boss' example, Mike crossed his arms as he pondered her response. "Who else besides us and the many Night Guards- Wait… How isn't it big news that the girls are alive?"

"We deny everything and no one believes the reports."

"Don't you think that some of them could be mentally scarred?" He knew from experience how frightening it could be to find out that something many people believe are actually sentient.

"We pay for therapy," Charlie assured him. "Anonymously of course."

"Of course. Okay, back on subject, who else besides us knows that the girls are alive?"

"Can't answer that either."

"Am I just an unimportant grunt that's strung along until he's not needed anymore?"

"You're not just an unimportant grunt. Look, I would love to tell you more than I'm allowed to but… I just can't. Seriously, if I could have warned you about Spring-Bonnie being super affectionate or that Fredbear would rather be left alone, I would have."

"Hmm… Am I being tested?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You not being allowed to give me any heads-up leads me to believe that I'm being evaluated for something."

"I'm not evaluating anything."

"Hmm…" Mike's eyes narrowed as he silently stared at his boss.

"You know, you should probably head home so you rest after such a crazy night," Charlie suggested. "You honestly look like you just regained consciousness after getting plastered."

Mike continued to blankly stare at her until his gaze drifted to his right. Charlie curiously glanced to her left, only to find an empty mug on the floor. She then turned her attention back to Mike, only to find that he was now gone.

"So that's what the others were talking about," she chuckled. "I didn't know I hired a ninja."

That smile quickly faded though as she picked the mug up. "I can't help but think him doing that is his way of showing how annoyed he may be being kept in the dark. I wonder if there's any way I could make it up to him."

Later that night, Mike sat in his office until a red blur sped past him. Perhaps it was only a blur because he wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings.

"That's not a good habit for a night guard," Mike thought as he sighed.

Not too long after that thought, Foxy backtracked into the office and waved.

"Ahoy, Night Guard," she grinned.

"Evening, Foxy," Mike solemnly replied.

The spirited pirate fox approached the night guard, her eyes curiously scanning him from head to toe.

"Do you happen to be busy right now?" she asked.

Mike had no idea how to answer that question. Even though he was officially hired to keep an eye on the establishment, he had a strong feeling that he was really hired to interact with the animatronics; though he knows that he can't make a decision just on a hunch.

"I don't really know. All I know is that I'm on the clock," he finally said.

"Excellent," Foxy beamed.

"Huh?"

The female pirate causlly reached for Mike and effortlessly lifted him over her shoulders.

Mike was at a loss of words. He was well aware that the girls were exceptionally stronger than any normal human being and yet he still couldn't help but feel shock over how easily he was hoisted over someone's shoulder. He also couldn't help but find it weird that that he didn't react this strongly the night before.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked.

"Carrying you to my cove, mate," Foxy replied.

"But…"

"You said you were on the clock and one of your duties is to keep an eye on us. You'll be able to keep an eye on me while in my cove."

"That's…" Mike thought about what he had just been told. "That's a good loophole."

"I'm a pirate, Night Guard. Loopholes are my specialty," the pirate fox happily boasted.

In no time at all, Foxy arrived in her cove.

"So, what is your request, Foxy?" he asked.

"I need a sparring partner," she answered.

"A sparring partner?" Mike felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he imagined all the possible results of any kind of sparring session with Foxy.

"Aye. I want to make sure my swordplay is still sharp for tomorrow's performance."

Not too long after that statement, Foxy walked further into her cove and stood Mike up on the stage. There, two prop swords were already waiting for them.

"You really never intended on letting me say no, huh Foxy?" he said.

"I would have. I was just really hoping you say yes since I really needed the human night guard for this one," she answered. "Now, pick up your weapon, if you dare."

Mike did as he was instructed and brought the prop up to his face.

"You ready?" a menacing grin formed on Foxy's face as she grabbed her sword.

Mike unconsciously relaxed his stance as he stared at the animatronic in front of him. The entire scenario was beginning to seem familiar to him.

"Let's go!" Foxy swung her sword at Mike's; the clash resulting in her opponent's sword crashing against the wall on the other side of the room.

"If I didn't relax my grip…" he fearfully muttered.

"Heh. Looks like I got a little more excited than I thought I would," Foxy sheepishly giggled. "It's been a while since I actually got to practice swordplay with another human."

"You mean Charlie?

"Yep. She assisted me before, but at the end of the night she said: 'No way will I ever risk having my arm flying through the sky ever again.'"

"Will the kids really be okay tomorrow?" he struggled not to imagine any bad scenarios of what may happen tomorrow. He knew Foxy wasn't a bad person and refused to associate those negative images with her. "Still, if even Charlie refused to do this with Foxy after the first time…"

"All right, let's go again!" Foxy declared.

"Foxy, wouldn't it better to ask the others for help? This seems like a dangerous task for a human like me." Mike pointed out.

"Don't worry. I promise to use less strength this time. Besides…" Foxy's expression softened before continuing. "I want to see what the new Night Guard is made of."

Mike shot a curious look at the animatronic before stepping off of the stage and walking to where his blade lied.

"Here goes nothing, I guess," he whispered as he picked his blade off the ground.

"Look alive!" Mike immediately turned around just in time to notice Foxy lunge at him. As if by instinct, the night guard quickly rolled out of the way as Foxy swung her blade through a nearby table.

"S-Strong…" he gulped as he watched the pieces of the destroyed furniture fly through the air.

"Oh boy, Charlie's going to have my tail for this… Okay, this time I'll go a little easier," Foxy turned towards where Mike landed, only to find he was already gone. She then looked up just in time to catch the exit from her cove close. The pirate fox could only grin as she approached the door. "He's a slippery one."

Not too far away, Mike transitioned from fast sprinting to slow jogging as he tried to catch his breath.

"I know she's trying not to, but Foxy could seriously kill me if this goes on," he thought aloud. "Perhaps if I gave her some time to cool down."

The night guard then examined his surroundings, his eyes immediately zooming in on a nearby vent grate.

"Here goes… well my life so… everything," he quickly kneeled down and removed the grate, allowing him to crawl inside. Once in, he moved the cover back to its proper position and began his journey through the ventilation system. "Hopefully my lack of direction will be beneficial in my current predicament."

Meanwhile, in the main dining area's show stage, Bonnie strummed a few notes on her guitar as Chica stretched out next to her.

"Hey, Chica…" Bonnie suddenly said.

"Yeah?" Chica answered.

"Do you think that the Night Guard might be getting second thoughts about staying here?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I guess I'm just a little worried. The past days have been pretty 'eventful' for him to say the least."

"You think?"

"Mm-hmm," Bonnie nodded her head. "I mean, I freaked him out on Night 1 and he even ended up unconscious because of it, On Night 2 he almost suffocated, Night 3 had him squeezed to very painful extremes and last night he was knocked out again."

"I probably should've stopped Foxy from encouraging him to drink that much sugar…" Chica admitted.

"You don't think he's getting tired of all the things that happened in under a week, do you?"

"Actually, I never even considered that. I don't really know his feelings towards everything that happened so far, but I really doubt that he's, ya know, seething with frustration inside. Theoretically speaking though, if your worries were true than that would mean that one more incident would probably make him snap and, if that were the case, than that would mean that we all would need to minimize contact with him so nothing crazy could happen."

As if on cue, Mike tumbled out of a nearby vent.

"Like that," Chica continued.

"Night Guard? What were you doing in the vents?" Bonnie queried.

Suddenly, Foxy burst through the entrance doors.

"Oh," noticing the swords in their hands was all the blue bunny needed to get a grasp of the current situation. "Oh…"

"And that," Chica added.

"I thought you'd end up here," a knowing smile crossed Foxy's face as she approached Mike.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Naturally, one on the run would think usually think of hiding in a secluded area. But I had the feeling that you would think of hiding in an area that had people but also wouldn't be loud enough to give away your location."

"That's…" Mike took a moment to think about what he was just told. "That's really clever."

"Never underestimate the cunning of a pirate! Or a fox, for that matter," Foxy proudly boasted.

The night guard then glanced at the vent he came out of and thought, "It would probably be the move of a jerk to tell her I accidently ended up here. Not like it would ruin how clever her thinking was…"

"Now, let's continue our battle!" the robotic pirate lunged at Mike, swinging her sword down the moment she was close enough.

Going against his instincts, Mike raised his sword over his head, stopping the opposing blade from hitting him.

"I actually stopped it..." though astonished by his achievement, it didn't take long for it to sink in that accomplishment was only possible because she was holding back her strength.

"You're finally into this it seems," Foxy grinned. She then released her sword from the blade lock and quickly crouched down. She then immediately jumped up, swinging her blade in an upward arc.

Once again having to rely on instinct, Mike quickly backed away from his attacker, narrowly dodging the swing. That move wasn't without consequence though, as he soon found himself falling back and landing on one of the many party tables in the room.

"Gotcha!" Foxy once again swung her blade at the night guard, only for him to offset the attack with his own heavy swing.

He then used his feet to propel himself forward, constantly offsetting his opponent's swings until he finally fell off the table.

"Gotta watch all your surroundings, mate," Foxy advised.

"Right," Mike staggered onto his feet and raised his sword.

The two continued their duel. Even though he knew he wouldn't stand a chance if Foxy was using her real strength, that fact soon didn't matter as he began to adapt to her movements and heavy swings.

After offsetting another attack, Mike gave into his instinct again and brought the whole of his sword up to Foxy's neck. The surprised look the fox displayed filled the night guard with the satisfaction of victory.

"Got you," he said, breathless.

"Is that so?" With a knowing smirk, Foxy gripped the tip of his blade, an act that confused Mike until he felt something press against his abdomen. Glancing down, he was surprised to find that it was the tip of Foxy's sword. "There's a reason why no one gets this close in a sword fight."

"Ah…" Mike couldn't help but feel like an idiot for making such an amateur move.

"Now…" the victorious fox pulled the night guard close and thrust her sword towards the doors. "Now we drink!"

"Looks like I'm up," Chica beamed. "Someone's got to be the bartender."

Later that night, the animatronic chicken handed Mike and Foxy each a mug of soda.

"Bottoms up!" Like the night before, Foxy made quick work of her drink. Wiping what's left off her red fur, she then turned to Mike, noting that he had yet to touch his mug. "What's wrong, Night Guard?"

"It's just… I feel like I didn't give you much of a sparring match," he lamented. "You kind of defeated me pretty quickly despite holding back."

"Aye, it was never like you would have defeated a pirate like me!" Foxy assured the night guard, gently patting him on the back. "Still, you put up a good fight despite how short it was."

"Even so, it was my job to make sure you were ready for tomorrow."

"Job? That's not your job."

"Hm? Isn't it implied that part of my job as a night guard to help however I can?"

"I don't know, but you make it sound like that you're less than what you're saying. It's true you're paid your weight in gold to keep an eye on us, but not to be our lackey or toy and I'm sure that no one here thinks of you that way," Foxy gently placed her hand on Mike's shoulder and flashed him a soft smile. "You're our mate, mate."

"Foxy…" Mike was rendered speechless by what he was just told. But despite his inability to verbally express his feelings, he could still give a small smile back.

"Now, drink and be merry!" Foxy cheered.

"To my tolerable limit," the night guard added.


	5. Chapter 5

Pain. It gets to the point that only so much can be taken until the receiver of such can no longer respond. No screams, no grunts; If they were cursed to still be conscious for such a thing, all they could do is wish for it to be over. That was something Mike was familiar with and constantly had to remind himself of as the kicking continued. He couldn't understand why this was happening to him. Perhaps some just love to engage in the basic human affinity to violence and will use any excuse to engage in it, no matter how petty.

Suddenly, the screaming began once again… But it wasn't Mike's. They started out loud, but soon grew quieter until nothing was heard at all. The silence only caused Mike's anxiety to grow, but that was nothing compared to the sharp increase of it when he heard the shuffling of feet; a sound that grew louder and louder with each step. Suddenly, it was silent again. Before long, a hand was thrust into his blurry field of vision as he heard, "Hey, are you okay?"

But like always, Mike could never answer that question as every time he heard it, he always opened his eyes and found himself in his bedroom.

"That dream again…" he sighed as he sat up.

But he had no time to dwell on such a recurring dream for it was time for him to prepare for work. It was only his sixth night on the job, but he already was used to the preparation stage. Getting dressed and embarking to a fairly new location to him was already standard. He would arrive at his place of employment and enter the almost vacated premises to begin hi-

"Gotcha!" Mike heard as he was immediately glomped by Spring-Bonnie.

"S-Spring-Bonnie?!" Mike exclaimed. "…Where you waiting for me at the door?"

"Mm-hmm," the gold animatronic answered, happily squeezing him tighter. "Foxy's been hogging you for the last two nights, so I wanted to make sure I got to you before she did."

Mike blankly stared at Spring-Bonnie and then diverted his gaze, thinking, "If it wasn't for what Foxy said last night, I might have taken this in a more negative light…"

A solemn sigh broke through his lips, prompting Spring-Bonnie to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… Nothing," Mike assured her.

Spring-Bonnie silently stared at the Night Guard and suddenly released her grip on him, an act that surprised Mike. She then squeezed his right hand and began to walk him down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Mike asked.

"You'll see," Spring-Bonnie answered with a wink.

Moments later, Mike found himself lying on top of a spread of prize boxes. Soon, Marionette approached the confused young man and sat next to another prize box next to him.

"So, what brings you in here today, Night Guard?" she asked.

"Marionette, you run after-hours therapy?" Mike asked.

"Yep. I like to think of it as an extension of my day job, but instead of securing children and prizes, I'm securing the minds of my patients."

Mike silently stared Marionette with a worried expression.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm only in therapist mode when I'm asked too, so it's not like I'll be psycho-analyzing you 24/7," she gently assured him.

"Oh. Okay," Mike nodded.

"So… What brings you in here today, Night Guard?"

"Well… Spring-Bonnie suggested I come in here."

"Mm-hmm… And why do you think she did that?"

"Well… She might be under the impression that I might have something on my mind?"

"Do you have something on your mind?"

"Well… I've been having these dreams lately. Actually, I've been having these dreams for years."

"Really? What are they about?"

"A lot of them are about pain and some are just mundane but…" Mike solemnly closed his eyes as he thought about the most important factor of his dreams. "I think there's this one person who keeps showing up, but the dreams always end before I can see their face."

"Always?" Marionette asked.

"Always," Mike confirmed. "Do you have any idea what that could mean?"

"Well, I would like to think that it's just a really big coincidence but I think the fact that you keep waking up whenever you try to see this person means that they are a trigger."

"A 'trigger'?"

"Mm-hmm. I think you're subconsciously forcing yourself up every time you're about to see this person's face because your mind is trying to shield you from something."

"But from what?"

Just then, Charlie walked into the room, "Hey, heard you were in here."

"Evening, Charlie," Mike greeted.

"Just wanted to tell you personally that I'm headed out so, you know, you're in charge for the night. But you know the drill by know, you'll be fine. You're great, you're wonderful, you're the perfect man for the job."

"Charlie, you're overcompensating to alleviate your guilt and internal struggle," Marionette said.

"I know," Charlie admitted.

"Guilt?" Mike questioned.

"Yeah, about that…" Charlie awkwardly approached Mike as he sat up. "Look, I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea and think that you're a useless, unimportant grunt that I'm stringing along.

"…I don't recall calling myself 'useless'."

"Okay, I'm making this worse. What I'm trying to say is that even its only been six nights, you keep coming back despite obviously being freaked out about the job at first, had a few instances of being hurt by affection and even risked having your arm sent flying by Foxy. By the way, we have backup furniture in case of Foxy and/or BB.

Back on subject, I'm just trying to say that you're a valued and impressive employee of this franchise."

Silence interjected itself in their conversation as Charlie scratched the back of her head, "You weren't planning to quit, were you?"

"Not really," Mike answered.

"And loyal," she casually added. "…Is it kind of that we're having this conversation only on the sixth night?"

"I think the circumstances make it justifiable," Mike assured her.

"Right," Charlie agreed with a shrug. "Anyway, night' guys."

With a salute goodbye, Charlie exited the room for the night.

"Would you like to continue the session?" Marionette asked.

"No," Mike answered. "But thank you for taking the time to analyze me."

"No problem," Marionette replied with a smile. "I hope you have a more pleasant dream when you sleep later; they seem interesting."

"They seem… Marionette, don't you dream?"

"Not really. I don't really need to sleep and when I do, it's pretty much like turning a machine on and off and all I see is darkness until I wake up."

"Oh…"

"Oh, but don't worry about me; I'm sure I'm not missing much. Like I said, I don't really sleep."

"Okay, um…" Mike scratched his right cheek. "Again, thanks for taking the time to listen to me."

"No problem," Marionette once again replied with a smile.

At that point, Mike began to wander the convention. He had no location in mind, he was just walking. The young night guard could not help but feel lost and confused. Like he confessed before, he had dreams like the one he described before and even though he had made peace with them, this recent one seemed to reignite the negative emotions they wrought in the past.

Mike eventually found himself in the main stage room. With a quick scan of the area, he noticed Freddy sitting at one of the table with a book in her hands. Upon closer inspection, he could tell it was a book that he was familiar with.

"Lord of the Flies?" he thought aloud.

"Huh?" Freddy glanced up from her book, finally noticing Mike's presence. "Oh, hey, Night Guard."

"So, you're reading Lord of the Flies?" Mike asked.

"Mm-hmm. I borrowed it from Charlie again."

"It's quite a fascinating read, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Freddy glanced down at the book, then back to Mike. "Hey, Night Guard, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Mike answered.

"So, this book has themes of morality and immorality and other things that would apply when stranded from society. Is this really how humans would act if they were in this situation?"

"I don't really know. It's really situational. I mean, on a basic level, our sense of self-preservation can overpower out innate goodness in times of stress and danger. It also depends on a person's true character. You can never really tell how they will react until the time calls for it."

"It's just a little weird reading a story about kids acting like this when you see how they act here every day."

"Even kids have their dark side," Mike rubbed his neck as he diverted his gaze. "Believe me, I'm well aware of that fact."

"Kids are supposed to be the pure ones. I wonder what would happen if adults were in this situation," Freddy wondered aloud.

"Best case scenario would be like the protagonist from Cast Away. Worst case would be them turning to cannibalism and worshipping their own made up demon as a delusional attempt to justify what they do."

"So… Pretty much like Jack."

"Yep."

Freddy sighed as she closed the novel. "It's kind of depressing. If humans can't get along with each other, than Bonnie's fears of what will happen if others found out about us is a real concern."

Hearing those words forced Mike to remember his own reaction to the revelation on his first night. It was a moment he regrets every time he remembered it.

"I guess it is…" he solemnly admitted. "Humans are simultaneously fearful and interested in what they cannot understand. If humanity were to accept sentient robotic girls they would need to be slowly eased into it. If not, then the likely response would be to study you girls."

"Study? Wouldn't they just disassemble us?" Freddy questioned.

"Best case scenario, they would study. You girls are highly advanced robotic beings after all. They would want to study what makes you tic and try to replicate you girls."

"Replicate?" Freddy shot a look at Mike that could only be described as disturbed and worried. "Replicate for what reasons?"

"Probably to be servants and assistants," the night guard answered.

"Oh."

"And then they'll regret it when the A.I. robotic revolution begins, leading to the first human/robot wars."

"That's really funny, Night Guard," Freddy giggled, only stopping when she noticed Mike's solemn expression didn't change. "You really think that would happen?"

"I could write my own Lord of the Flies on the subject if I was writer," Mike replied.

"That would sound like an interesting read."

"Not really if I was the one to write it. I don't understand the intricate of literature."

"Maybe you could join a class or a club for that?"

"A club for literature? Such a suggestion would have gotten the kids in my school to think I was more disturbed than I already was."

All of a sudden, the doors to the room were kicked open and a figure rolled in.

"BB's here to save the day!" BB declared.

"Huh?" Mike blankly responded to such an entrance.

"Heard you went to therapy today and I'm here to make sure that you're in a good mood," BB grinned as she raised a deflated in front of her face. She then placed her lips against the opening on the neck balloon and instantly blew it to its appropriate size. She just as quickly tied it closed and presented it to Mike.

"Here you go," she said with an innocent smile.

"Thank you," Mike said as he accepted the balloon. "Um, BB…"

"Yeah?"

"How did you do this?"

"It's part of my name. Of course I'm a master of making balloons."

"That's true. But how could you blow up a balloon?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have lungs," Freddy explained.

"Oh," BB glanced at the stomach and pointed at it. "I got an oxygen tank in me; the same way Freddy has a music box in her and Marionette sometimes stores prizes in her."

"Really?" Mike questioned, turning his gaze to Freddy.

"Yep," Freddy nodded her head.

"Hm," Mike remained silent for a moment, before asking, "Do any of you ladies know where Bonnie is?"

"I think she said she was going to be in Mangle's Cove for a little bit," Freddy recalled.

"Do you want to head over there?" BB asked. "Cause I can give you a ride."

"A ride?" Mike couldn't help but wonder what BB could be referring to.

"Yep," BB jumped behind Mike and began to push him towards the exit. "The same way I got here today."

The moment he was pushed through the doors, Mike found himself in front of a four-wheeled chair.

"Isn't that my chair from the security office?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm. Take a backwards seat," BB instructed.

Following the animatronic's instructions, Mike sat down on the chair in a manner opposite from he usually would. B then jumped on behind him and tightly gripped the back of the chair.

"Ignition locked on!" she declared with an eager grin. "Ready for launch in 3…2…1!"

What happened next would remind Mike how strong the girls are? Effortlessly launching them down the hallway, all he could do was hope that would not crash into anything as BB happily laughed at the ride. Suddenly, the chair started to spin as it sped down the hallway, prompting his hopes of survival to increase.

Not too far away…

"Are you sure it's not too inconvenient?" Mangle worriedly asked.

"Of course not," Bonnie assured her as she strummed away at her guitar.

"But what about the kids?"

"We got that covered, don't worry."

Just then, Mike stumbled into the room. Just by looking at him, Bonnie and Mangle could tell that he could throw up at any moment.

"Are you okay, Night Guard?" Bonnie worriedly asked.

"I'm fine. I… I just had a ride with BB," Mike said, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh…" Bonnie nervously chuckled. She then jumped off the stage and approached the night guard, allowing him to lean on her until he got his balance back.

"Hey, Bonnie…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Sorry for what?"

"For acting in a way that assumes the worse at first, especially when you did nothing to incite that."

"Oh, um… You don't have to apologize about that. It's completely understandable."

"Still… I guess I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry."

"Night Guard…" a soft smile cross Bonnie's face as she suddenly embraced Mike. "Okay. Apology accepted."

The young man just stood there, unsure if he should return the sentiment or not.

The moment was quickly interrupted though, as the three heard a loud crash outside in the hallway.

"Oops!" they heard BB cry.

"Do any of you ladies know where Charlie keeps the extra furniture?" Mike asked.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry, it's been awhile. I've been really busy with life, I've had writer's block on this story while having other stories to contend with.

* * *

Mike intensely stared at the frame of his laptop's keyboard. It should be tightly attached to his most used electronic device, but it isn't.

"I could just take this to the shop. I can afford to do that now…" he rationalized.

A solemn sigh brushed past his lips as he glanced out his window. The sun was setting and the orange sky was getting darker and darker as it descended.

"Not too long now… It'll soon be time for my shift," he thought aloud. Mike looked back down at his laptop. "Let's see what can be done until then…"

Meanwhile, Charlie stared intensely at her sketchbook, wondering what else she could add to her drawing.

"Charlie…" the young manager lowered her sketchpad as she curiously glanced up at Mangle. The timid fox's tail swept across the stage as she patiently waited for a response.

"What's up, Mangle?" Charlie finally answered.

"Um…" Mangle's cheeks grew bright red as she found maintaining eye contact difficult. "I was just wondering…"

"Wondering…?"

"…What do you think of the night guard?"

A look of surprise landed on Charlie's face. "What do I think? Well…"

The young manager scratched her head, wondering how to answer that question.

"I mean he's been here for a couple of days now. He's been on the receiving end of superhuman strength and is well aware that he's being kept in the dark," she replied. "All that and he's still here, so that's impressive."

"That's all you think about him?" Mangle wondered.

"Um, he also offered me cookies and that was before he knew I was the manager, so I know he wasn't trying to bribe me. Honestly, he seems somewhat emotionally stonewalled, except when Spring-Bonnies's around, but he overall seems like a… umm… Casual gentleman.

"'Casual gentleman'?"

"Like the stereotypical gentleman but in a more casual setting. He's a somewhat emotionally withdrawn casual gentleman is the impression I have so far."

"Oh…"

"But why are you asking me anyway? Wouldn't you and the others have more to go off of than me?"

"I was just curious. That's all."

"Still a bit anxious?"

"A little…"

Charlie chuckled and ruffled Mangle's hair. "Don't sweat it, Mangle. You just need more time to get used to him. Honestly, I'd be worried if you've weren't still a bit anxious."

"Really?" Mangle said, surprised.

Really," Charlie assured her.

Later that night, the two joined Freddy, Chica and Spring-Bonnie in watching Bonnie and BB compete on one of the former's favorite arcade game.

"Rabbit-punch combo!" Bonnie announced as she finished inputting her favorite combo. "Swift-hare kick! Long-Haired jump and…!"

Bonnie rapidly mashed every button on her side of the machine and happily announced. "Fatalitity!"

"No!" BB cried. "My character was so young and handsome!"

Overcome with grief over her loss, BB reached for Bonnie's left hand and slid it across her neck.

"Fatality," she said in a low, droning voice before suddenly collapsing to the ground.

Before anyone could say a word, BB just as suddenly appeared in front of Bonnie, now wearing a pair of glasses and a fedora. With a microphone in hand, she asked, "Bonnie, how does it feel to continue your marvelous winning streak as the overall fighting arcade champion of the gang?"

"Well, uh, it's a real thrill to go head to head against an actual opponent than the computer," Bonnie answered.

"Fascinating," BB then turned her attention to where she initially collapsed. "And BB, how did it feel to go against the reigning champion of arcade fighters?"

The playful animatronic quickly returned to her previous position, removing her fedora and glasses in the process. "It was too much. As soon as she used the Rabbit-punch combo, I knew it was over… What was I thinking? How could I have possibly thought I could win against her infamous technique?!"

BB quickly jumped back on her feet and into her reporter outfit. "You seem to be feeling down on yourself. Anyway, once again, Bonnie the titanic blue rabbit has vanquished all and any competition that has come her way. This Reporter Balloon Babe, signing off."

Removing her guise for the final time, BB turned her attention Bonnie. "By the way, Champ, what's that?"

"What's what?" Bonnie questioned as she looked around puzzled.

"Up there," BB instructed as she pointed to the ceiling.

"Up?" Bonnie said as she looked up.

"Hey…" the blue bunny's attention was drawn back to BB as she looked past her. "I thought we were expecting the Night Guard. What's a doctor doing here?"

"D-?" Bonnie's eyes widened upon realizing what she was about to say. "I'm not Bugs Bunny!"

"Aww! So close…" BB lamented. "I shall get you or Spring Bon-Bon to say the immortal phrase of the most famous cartoon bunny!"

With that powerful declaration, BB ran out of the room.

"She's never going to quit, is she?" Spring-Bonnie laughed.

"Maybe you two should just say it so she won't bring it up anymore," Mangle suggested.

"Mm…" Bonnie pondered that suggestion. After giving it a full minute of consideration, she finally shook her head. "No, that's the one thing I refuse to relent on."

Freddy glanced up at the clock; every time the second hand moved filled her with curiosity and worry. "Hey, Charlie, have you heard anything from the Night Guard yet?"

"Absolutely nothing," Charlie answered.

"I wonder if he's sick," Bonnie wondered aloud.

"Sick? But I didn't get to spend any time with him over the past few days…" Spring-Bonnie lamented. "Do I really have to wait another?"

"Well, you did willingly give up your latest chance for selfless reasons," Freddy pointed out in an attempt to console the saddened golden rabbit. "Maybe something good will happen for that selflessness."

"You think?" Spring-Bonnie questioned.

"For all we know, something good could happen really soon," Chica added.

As if on cue, Mike walked in. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Like that," Chica smiled.

"By the way, I just saw BB singing "What's Up, Doc" from the Bugs Bunny theater cartoon: What's up, Doc? Was there a Bugs Bunny moment just recently?" Mike asked.

One look at Mike was all it took for Spring-Bonnie to jump out of her seat and hug him.

"You're not sick!" she beamed as she squeezed him tighter. "You're not sick."

"S-Sick?" the tardy night guard couldn't help but be puzzled over such an assumption.

But he was not alone in that feeling. Freddy also found herself puzzled as she tried to understand how Mike arrived at such a perfect time. "Wow."

"The wrong interpretation of Karma works in mysterious ways," Charlie explained.

"C-Charlie, I wanted to apologize for being late," Mike apologized.

"Car issues?" she guessed.

"Actually… I don't have a car. It was repossessed before you hired me and the buses weren't running tonight."

"You mean you came here on foot?" Bonnie asked. "At night? By yourself?"

"It was my only choice," Mike replied.

"That's really admirable, Night Guard," Freddy complimented.

"Weren't you worried about being jumped by a gang?" Bonnie queried.

"Not really. Though I did make sure to avoid any particularly shadowy areas," Mike answered.

Suddenly, Charlie's phone started to ring. "Wonder who it i-? AH!"

Shocked by what she saw, Charlie quickly released her grip, letting gravity guide her phone to the floor.

"It's the boss!" she shrieked.

"Henry?!" the girls exclaimed.

"Henry?" Mike wondered aloud.

"He's the guy who created us," Chica explained. "And the only guy that can freak Charlie out."

"Just Charlie?" Mike questioned as he observed the nervous expressions most of the girls in the room sported.

"Well… He usually only calls around this time when it's bad…" Bonnie nervously explained.

"Like, say, one of the animatronics socked a patron across the room," Freddy added with red cheeks.

"Or when it was about what I almost did…" Mangle solemnly admitted.

"No, those weren't bad," Charlie insisted. "This, what he's calling about now, is bad and I really don't want to go through that conversation here with…"

Charlie briefly glanced at Mike. She knew it would be an insult to try and cover up what she was about to say. "…With you here."

"But Charlie, you can't not answer him. It'll look really suspicious," Freddy pointed out.

"Maybe I can rush him off the phone."

"That'll seem even more suspicious."

The two continued to debate until they noticed a hand reach down and answer the call.

"Hello?" Spring-Bonnie said.

"Spring-Bonnie?!" the girls yelled in their heads.

"Oh hey, Henry," Spring-Bonnie cheerfully responded. "How's life?"

"…"

"Me? Oh, I'm doing fine. Just rotting away in a closet with Fredbear; No longer able to interact with customers or be loved like the others."

"…"

"Why am I answering instead of Charlie?" Spring-Bonnie curiously glanced at Charlie. Refusing to say a word, she crossed her arms in the shape of an x. "She left her phone here."

"…"

"It's not a coincidence. A lot of people lose their phones like that. Even the new Night Guard would have lost it on his second night if BB didn't find it."

"…"

"You're calling because you wanted to know about the new Night Guard?"

"…"

"No, Charlie isn't paying herself again. There really is a new shining knight to guard us in the night that's been here this long."

"…"

"Really."

"…"

Spring-Bonnie briefly glanced at Mike before returning to the conversation. "He's really cute."

"…"

"But he is."

"…"

"Actually, he disappeared when I wasn't looking."

"…"

"Really."

"…"

"You want to talk to him?"

"No," Charlie whispered as she shook her head.

"He's kinda unavailable right now," Spring-Bonnie said.

"…"

"He's not slacking off. Far from it actually. He's in the middle of a sword fight with Foxy. If I distract him, you may end up getting sued."

"…"

"There's really hazard's pay?"

"…"

"That's also why night guards are paid so much?"

"…"

"I thought it was a way to make sure they don't tell the world."

"…"

"I feel I should be insulted."

"…"

"Well, I did kinda squeeze him too hard the other night… But he was a lot more nice about it."

"…"

"Hey, he did the disappearing thing before that happened."

"…"

"I'm pretty human… esque. The only things that aren't humanish are my broken ears and bunny nose."

"…"

"I doubt he cares about that."

"…"

Spring-Bonnie once again glanced at Mike. "You know if you're worried about hazards, maybe you bump up the Night Guard's salary."

"…"

"True, but you're the one that made a big deal about it."

"…"

"You could use the money you're saving on Fredbear and Spring-Bonnie maintenance and equipment."

"…"

"Could have at least let us keep our stage like Mangle."

"…"

"Maybe some bean-bag chairs, a TV and some better reading entertainment."

"…"

"Sleeping all the time is just boring."

"…"

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Already knows where the spare furniture is."

"…"

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Alright, I'll let her know you called."

"…"

"Pleasant dreams, Henry."

Once the call ended, Spring-Bonnie placed the phone on the table and pouted.

"Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but what just happened?" Mike asked.

"That is a good question that I'm sure the others will answer the moment I'm gone," Charlie answered as she walked past Mike.

"You're not going to take your phone with you?"

"Nope, if he calls back then it's going to be really suspicious if they don't answer. 'night," With a wave goodbye, Charlie rushed out of the room.

"I know I haven't worked here long, but I never thought I would see Charlie so unbalanced like that," Mike noted. "Also, is it really okay for her to avoid her boss like that?"

"Actually, both observation and question have a single link," Freddy answered.

"They do?" Mike was surprised to hear that.

"Mm-hmm," Chica nodded. "Henry's Charlie's father."

"Father, huh?" Mike said as if he already knew that.

"Huh? You're not fazed by that?" Bonnie marveled.

"Quite honestly, that actually explains a lot," Mike answered. "Judging from what I've just witnessed, he doesn't seem to be a popular figure here."

"Well, we can't really speak for Charlie, but for us it's mostly because he's really distant," Bonnie explained. She then leaned over to Mike's left ear and whispered, "Not to mention… I think it's clear why Spring Bon-Bon might be a little mad at him."

"I'm not a little mad…" Spring-Bonnie said as she maintained her puffed cheeks.

"It's okay to be a little mad, you know," Freddy gently placed her hand on Spring-Bonnie's left shoulder as she tried to console her.

"I'm not a little mad…" Spring-Bonnie solemnly repeated.

Watching this filled Mike with caused a familiar feeling to resurface within him, a feeling that would remain with him for the rest of his shift.

At the beginning of his next shift…

"No way!" Spring-Bonnie's eyes sparkled with joy as they beheld what Mike had brought her. "Beanbag chairs and new books?"

"Forgive me; I didn't really know what you like. I just thought it would be better than nothing," Mike explained.

Suddenly, Spring-Bonnie wrapped her arms around him. "Not only are you cutest night guard, you're the best night guard ever!"

Such a genuine compliment was all it took to deprive Mike of his vocabulary. Just like the other nights, it felt strange to be complimented. He was so lost that he was unable to notice a pair of white ears ducking behind a nearby corner.

Later, Mike walked into his office and slumped into his chair.

"Night Guard…" he looked up and noticed Mangle standing next to him.

"Yes, Mangle?" Mike replied.

"Do you think you can come to my cove for a moment?" she asked.


	7. Chapter 7

Mike glanced around Mangle's Cove. Though this was not his first time in there, he had never truly paid attention to what was in there. There were coloring books and multiple drawings spread across the walls. There were also many other things children would, but it would take him forever to identify them all in his head. But what was especially noteworthy was the small layer of dust that layered on top of everything.

After finishing his search, the curious night guard turned his attention towards Mangle and asked, "So, you were essentially the calming break room for children?"

"Yes," Mangle slowly nodded her head. "I also used to read books to children during story time."

"So, why are you 'out of order'?"

"Well…" the timid animatronic's embarrassment and sorrow were on full display as she struggled to answer that question. "It all started a little ways back. I was 'on-break' while the all the kids were watching a performance by Freddy, Bonnie and Chica. During that time, a couple of guys walked in, so I acted like I was inoperable. They bought the act like everyone else does, but because of that they approached me with scary looks in their eyes and… They started touching and squeezing."

"I see…" Mike calmly replied.

"Very thoroughly…"

"Of course."

"And ever since then I was afraid of the same thing happening again. Too afraid to keep the guise of a life-like animatronic. I was told that humans can only suspend they're disbelief so much and if I was afraid to make contact with half the customers then I shouldn't be 'operational'."

"I see…"

"And that's the story."

"I see…"

A brief but noticeable silence injected itself into their conversation.

"Um… Isn't there anything you want to say?" Mangle asked.

"Like what?" Mike replied, confused.

"That it's pathetic that a performing animatronic would be put 'out-of-order' because their afraid of human contact?"

"Not really. You reacted the way you reacted because it made you uncomfortable; I don't really see how that has anything to do with you being a highly advanced sentient robotic being."

"Really?" Mangle's eye widened with surprise. She didn't expect such a response in regards to her problem.

"It doesn't really sound all too different from Freddy socking a customer for doing the same thing," Mike reminded her.

"Oh. Right…"

Another short, but very noticeable silence entered their conversation.

"You really don't think it's weird?" Mangle asked again.

"My experience with human contact is not so good either, so…" Mike felt something briefly stop him from finishing his sentence. He felt like pain, but he wasn't entirely sure. "So… I can certainly empathize with you there."

"Oh." Mangle's tail swished back and forth. "Um… What did you do after going through your experience?"

"Well…" Mike closed his eyes as he recalled the dreams he's been having more and more frequently as of late. "I believe that I had someone help me."

"Hey, are you okay?"

Mike anxiously opened his eyes just as a hand entered his field of vision. Afraid to even look up, the battered child could only ask, "W-Who are you?"

"The one who scared those bullies off," the same voice proudly answered. "My's name _. What's yours?"

"It's-"

"Night Guard?"

Blinking his eyes, Mike found himself back in Mangle's cove.

"Are you okay?" she worriedly asked.

"I'm… I'm fine," he answered. "As I was saying, I received help."

Mangle averted her gaze as she processed what she was told. "…Night Guard, do you think you could help me?"

"You want my help?"

"Well, the others tried to help but they're…"

"Not a human male?"

Mangle timidly nodded her head.

"…So, what do you want me to do?" Mike asked.

"You'll help me?"

"I see no reason not to. So, what exactly do you need me to do?"

"Well, the other said that the best thing to do is to face my fear directly. So, I would like for you to touch me."

"Excuse me?" Mike eyes slightly widened with surprise over her words.

"I-I mean, I just need you to perform physical contact with me," Mangle stammered.

"Pardon me?"

"I-I mean-!" the anxious animatronic's cheeks grew bright red as she stumbled over her words.

"Perhaps we should start with a simple handshake?" Mike suggested.

"That sounds good… Um…" Mangle anxiously approached the young night guard and slowly extended her hand towards him.

The young night guard solemnly glanced down at the hand offered to him and just as slowly reached for it. Just as he was about to grasp her hand, Mangle quickly retracted it to her side.

"Sorry, it's just a little hard," she winced. "Maybe I should just do what Spring-Bonnie advised."

Mike raised an eyebrow after hearing that. He couldn't see Mangle doing anything Spring-Bonnie advised on such a subject. Suddenly, to his shock, she opened her arms wide and slowly approached him once again. Once she was in range, Mangle wrapped her arms around herself.

"I can't do this…" she lamented.

"What if I **casually** place my hand on your shoulder?" Mike suggested. "Like I think how proud fathers do to their sons."

"Okay, that may work," Mangle stood straight in front of him, preparing for the worst. As the Night Guard's hand inched closer and closer to her, she felt her anxiety rise. Just as he was about to make contact, flashes of her traumatic experience quickly flashed in her mind, causing her to shriek and run out of her cove.

"Huh," Mike solemnly glanced down at his hand as he walked out of the cove.

"My's name _. What's yours?"

"It's-" The child quickly jumped on his feet and turned away. "Forget it! Just leave me alone!"

He ran away. There was nothing else the battered child could do but run and run. He just couldn't take anymore.

"Night Guard?" Mike glanced up and found himself face to face with Freddy. "What's just happened with Mangle?"

"She requested that I help her with her trouble with physical contact," he answered.

"She did?" Freddy gasped. "I guess I don't need to ask how it went… Though to be honest, I think she's downplaying what her real issue is."

"That she may be afraid of human males altogether."

"How'd you guess?"

"Judging from your shocked reaction just now along with what she had told me of her previous interaction with previous night guards; it is completely understandable if that was the case. It would also explain why she would be 'out-of-order' instead of there just being a rule to not touch her."

"That's an astute observation," Freddy complimented. "Honestly, you're the first adult human male that's shown her any kindness in regards to her as a person."

"My thoughts exactly!" a boisterous voice interjected. One second after that statement, Foxy jumped in front of the two with a hearty smile on her face. "This is exactly the opportunity we've been waiting for to help Mangy with her fear."

Foxy grabbed Mike by the hand and begun to lead him down the hallway. "Let's go, Night Guard! With your help, Mangle will be able to handle being touched by anyone in any situation."

"Excuse me?" it was at that moment when he begun to wonder whether or not he was hearing things correctly.

"Wait, Foxy," Freddy quickly jumped in front of the Foxy, stopping her from going any further. "You can't just march into this like you usually do."

"Why not?" Foxy asked, perplexed.

"Well, other than the fact that you're dragging the Night Guard into one of your plans without his consent; there's also the fact that your direct methods may cause the same results."

"Aye… Ye have my hands tied there," Foxy relented, raising her hands in defeat. The pirate glanced at her right hand, realizing that it was currently a metal hook. The hook slipped into her arm and soon her regular hand popped out. "Now, ye have my hands tied. So what's your suggestion?"

"Maybe use your more subtle methods," Freddy suggested.

"Subtle, eh?" a devious smile grin stretched across the pirate animatronic's face.

Later that night, Mangle solemnly walked through halls of the establishment, sifting through the various drawings fans have made. Her eyes eventually stop at a single drawing. It was clearly made by a little kid and depicted of her reading to them. Seeing this filled the already saddened animatronic with more sorrow and guilt.

"There you are, Mangle," the timid fox turned around to find Foxy standing behind her.

"You've been looking for me, Foxy?" she asked.

"Yep. I thought we could do something we haven't done in a long time: Blind Treasure Hunting!" Foxy dramatically declared.

"A blind treasure hunt?"

"Exactly. Remember the thrills of hunting for treasure without vision? It's time to relive them. What do you say?"

"Um… Okay."

"Great," pulling a blindfold from seemingly nowhere, Foxy tied it around Mangle's eyes. "Now, let the treasure hunt begin."

The eager fox jumped behind her companion and gently pushed her down the hallway.

"Foxy, I don't remember leading this way being allowed," Mangle said.

"It's a new twist on the old formula," Foxy assured her.

Foxy continued to push Mangle down the halls of the establishment until the timid fox heard a sneeze.

"Huh?" Mangle cautiously lifted her blindfold to find herself a mere inch away from Mike. Her face immediately turned bright red before diving behind Foxy.

"Aye, Mangy… You've already been in close proximity to the Night Guard before. Why are you running scared now?" Foxy questioned.

"But physical contact wasn't a factor those times though…" Mangle argued.

It was natural for the animatronic girls to display worry for each other during trying times, but Mike still could not help but be surprised over the sadness on the energetic and boisterous Foxy's face.

"She has a point there, Foxy," Freddy pointed out. "Not to mention, this was not what I meant by being subtle."

"Aye…" the pirate fox lamented. "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Maybe they could ask Marionette."

Following her suggestion, Mangle and Mike made their way to the Prize Corner. Once there, the door opened with either of them touching it.

"Please enter!" a loud booming voice demanded.

Though confused, the two did as they were told and walked into the room. The moment they were inside, the door closed behind them.

"Lady and gentleman, please put your hands together for our officer of prize corners and puppet, who also is a master puppeteer: Marionette!"

On cue, Marionette burst out of one of the prize boxes and slowly flipped over its side.

"Hey, you two," she warmly greeted the two with a wave.

"Evening, Marionette," Mike replied as Mangle waved back. "Question: Where did that voice come from?"

"From me," a familiar cheerful voice answered.

"BB?" Mike asked as they looked around.

"I'm in your office."

"My office?"

"Yeah, didn't you know there's a PA system?"

"...No. Hold on, were you two expecting us?"

"No, I was just talking to Marionette over the PA and I noticed you two on the cameras."

"Speaking of which…" Marionette slowly cart wheeled towards the two, using her flexibility to peform maneuvers most human could only dream about. "What brings you two here?"

"Well… I'm trying to deal with my phobia and I'm having no success," Mangle sorrowfully admitted.

"I see… Have you tried puppet therapy?" the puppet-like animatronic suggested.

"'Puppet therapy'?" Mike and Mangle repeated, confused by what they just heard.

"A little puppetry that will rest control and allow you two to touch each other without any input needed whatsoever." She explained.

"Are… Is everyone here talking this way on purpose?" Mike wondered. The amount of suggestive comments he has heard in one night was beginning to seem a bit to coincidental to him.

"Or another way to put this, Mangle would not have to worry about a male touching her in an inappropriate manner since through puppet therapy, I can restrict that."

"How does this puppet therapy work however?" Mike asked.

"Like this," Marionette raised her right palm towards Mike. Before he could question what she was doing, he felt a strange sensation spread throughout his body. But that was not the only thing he noticed. Despite his body experiencing a strange new sensation, none of his limbs reacted to it. No matter what he tried, it was clear that he has lost control of his body. "Are you okay with this, Night Guard?"

Continuing his futile attempts to move his body, he soon came to realize all he could control was his mouth and his eyes. Such ability was horrifying and filled him with a sense of powerlessness. But now wasn't the time to worry about such feelings. "…I am."

Marionette nodded her head and turned her gaze to Mangle. "Mangle?"

"Mm-hmm." She slowly nodded her head.

The Puppet master raised her other palm towards Mangle, instantly taking control of her body. "Now please go to your happy places. When we're done, you'll both have established physical contact with each other."

"Maybe it's just me…" Mike wondered.

Mangle closed her eyes and let her body move forward without any input. She needn't worry about anything as she was gently guided to confront those fears. But even though with the restrictions Marionette set in place, she still felt her anxieties building up. She was soon plagued by the same flashes of memory as before.

Sensing this Marionette released her grasp on the two just as Mangle ran out of the room.

"Looks like puppet therapy didn't work either…" Marionette lamented.

"Hmm," Mike stretched his limbs, now fully back in control of his body. "Allow me to try something."

With that single declaration, the night guard proceeded to make his way to Mangle's Cove. Once inside, he stepped on to the stage and slipped through the curtains to find Mangle sitting, as he had expected.

Her tail slowly swished back and forth across the floor as she turned away from him.

"Mangle," he said.

"I'm sorry, Night Guard," she apologized. "I asked for your help and I keep running away scared."

"Mm-hmm."

"It's pretty pathetic right?"

"Not really."

"…You're just saying that… And I wouldn't blame you for doing that. Everyone's like that, even though I know that I'm letting everyone down."

"I'll be honest, I'm haven't worked here long enough to judge whether your feelings of letting people down are accurate or not but I can tell you that I'm not exactly the type to just say things often. I said what I said because from what I gathered, you don't exactly have a good relationship with human males. But despite that, you seem to have no major issue interacting with me."

"But that's because you didn't do anything to me."

"Believe me, Mangle, I know from experience that just because someone didn't do anything doesn't mean that people still won't be afraid to confront them. The person I told you about before, when they first helped me when I needed it, I shunned them and ran away. I was scared and didn't have the courage to face anyone.

You on the other hand, despite your previous experiences, you still talked to me. Even thought you were scared, you still had the courage to do that. After all, it's not about being fearless but the ability to do face those fears."

"Y-You think I'm courageous?"

"I do. So remember that whenever you're feeling down on yourself.

Mangle's cheeks grew bright pink as she processed what she was told.

"Thank you, Night Guard." A small smile formed on her lips.

"Mm." Mike nodded his head and slipped back out through the curtains. As he approached the edge of the stage, he suddenly felt two arms wrap around him. He could feel powerful vibrations against his back, as the arms repeatedly tightened and loosened.

"Spring-Bonnie really does make this look easy…" Mangle noted.

"Just please don't repeat what she did the first time…" Mike weakly requested.


End file.
